The Best Books about Writing

Please send me titles of your favourite books about writing. Here's my provisional list for the workshops I'm starting this week which is more about freeing our inner voice, or unblocking rather than rules or how to write.


Creative Novel Writing by Roselle Angwin

Writing The Bright Moment by Roselle Angwin


Creative Pathways -Freeing the Writer's Inner Voice by Suzanne Ruthven


The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron



Writing For Self Discovery by Myra Schneider and John Killick


Anyone like to add to that?



Penny Alexander in her previous comment recommends the following:


Jane Wenham-Jones 'Wannabe a Writer?' and not just because I'm quoted, but because it made me giggle and spill my tea several times.



Stephen King's On Writing is supposed to be one of the best too, though I confess I haven't read it [yet].



David Isaak recommends:
Steven Pressfield's "The War of Art" is wonderful. Initially the format--little short chapters that look as though they verge on proverbs--is a little off-putting, but if you read it straight through it is one of the best things ever written on the writer's battle with all the naysayers in their own mind.

My favorite manual on how writing works is the unfortunately titled "Modern Library Writer's Workshop" by Stephen Koch (novelist, and also the head of Columbia University's Creative Writing Program for many years). Koch isn't one who hands down rules, but he discusses all aspects of the craft and art, and peppers the book with quotes from a joyously eclectic selection of writers

Conversations with Strange Men Part Six

I was at Snape Maltings Concert Hall today to hear a string quartet. I arrive to find my seat sandwiched between two men. The man on my left is I think, rather posh and reticent, or maybe can't get a word in edgeways as the man on my right is from Suffolk and chatty.

Him: Hello.

Me: Hi.

Him: I love it here. This is a special place.

Me: Yes, I'm really looking forward to this.

Him: I love the starkness of it and the sound.. I've been coming here 25 years.

Me: Really? This is my first festival.

Him: I'll tell you something. I used to suffer from asthma. This place cured me.

Me : Wow! That's amazing!

Him: Yep, they wanted to pump me full of steroids and I didn't like the idea of what it might do to my bones, so I said forget it and I came here instead. Never had an attack since. I tell you this place... I expect you think I'm mad don't you?

Me: Not at all. I work in this field....in creative writing in health...

Him: Well Bach is my cure. And I tell you Shostakovich is the cure for cancer.... when that music get inside you.... and it's what's inside that make you ill, do you agree....?

Me: Oh yes. I often work in mental health and I see how all the arts help a lot.

The Zehetmair Quartet arrive onstage play and are pretty amazing. Afterwards our conversations continues as if it hadn't left off.

Him: Well there's more mental illness than ever before isn't there? There's too much of it about since they closed all the hospitals... it's everywhere and some have ended up in prisons and people don't know where to turn... there's no church and the politicians... no one can look up to them can they? And people are let out and they're murdering people...and no one knows which way to turn... but if people just came here they'd see.... they'd know.... I should be dead really you know... in fact I have been dead and come back and music saved me... and the Masons.... you know the Freemasons don't you? Well they've got it in for me....because I broke my wrist and couldn't work and they wanted £1000 off me and I couldn't pay it so they want me dead... and I climbed Ben Nevis for Cystic Fibrosis and I helped this girl and fell in love with her, but she didn't love me back because she had three children and I had no money, so that was that, but I loved her, so every year on the anniversary... you know the anniversary is special, so I climb Ben Nevis every year...I need to so I can break that demon... and if people would only come here, they'd realise, they'd forget everything... all your troubles just go... you agree with me don't you?

Me: I have to go now I'm afraid...

Find The Writer Within

Anyone want to tell me their favourite books about writing? Find the Writer Within is what I've called my series of workshops I'll be holding in Aldeburgh fromThursday June 28th at Aldeburgh Music Room. I'm just planning what I'll do and also reading lots of writing books to compile a reading list of my favourites. This is how I've been plugging it on leaflets placed around the town: Tap Into Your Creativity... Find Your Unique Voice...Develop Your Ideas....

From Club Dancing to Morris Dancing

Well I've certainly been strutting my stuff lately. Had a brill time in Ibiza with two old (very old) friends and a new one seen here with me in Pacha night club. I kind of made a joke to everyone about going to Ibiza and I didn't expect to like it. What a total snob I am because it was fab, kind of alternative and chilled and really beautiful and the music (which I love) was everywhere from bars to cars to the boat carrying us across the bay to Ibiza town even taxi drivers seemed in the chilled groove and believe me Spanish taxi drivers are some of the most miserable in the world. Or maybe it's a given for that particular job anywhere with the exception of Ibiza it seems. We were staying in lovely hotel in Talamanca and my favourite chill out bar restauarant just down the coast a little even has a bed in it! See photo. It was probably a great time because I spent it with such groovy people. I even went clubbing and didn't feel too old, well the dim light helps, not sure whether my eighties- auntie- style dancing is still the thing, but hey anything goes I think!

So now back in Aldeburgh and settling back into life here and to keep my feet in I ended up Morris dancing on Monday night outside the Ship Inn at Dunwich. It's a long story but it seems whenever Rosie (mentioned in an earlier post Feb 19th 2007 ) venture out things seem to happen. I blame her!

Madrid In Winter / Ghosts of Spain

Two amazing books I´m reading in parallel. The former book by CJ Sansom (I´ll upload cover when I get back) was absolutely brilliant. Set in Spain just after the Civil War, it has everything: history, romance, gore, war, humour, spies and spivs, a page turning read in every sense of the word.
There are some books you read and think I can write better than this. Other books you think what I brilliant idea I wish I´d thought of that. And other books, like Madrid in Winter, seem to me just so skilful and amzingly complex, gripping but working on so many levels I know if I spent the rest of my life on it I couldn´t come up with anything like it! It was also really thrilling as the climax of the book is set in Cuenca which is my favourite place in Spain (part of Selfish Jean is set there too) and I just got to that bit of the book as I was staying in Cuenca again this time. It was so thrilling to be there and read it. I´m sure they´ll make a film of it there. Only thing isa it wil bring more people then and I like to keep it as my secret hide away.

Reading in tandem with it is a factual book by journalist, Giles Tremlett, who has lived in Madrid for years and it is about the Cicil War and what has happened to Spain in the post Franco years. A riveting and fascinating eye opener about modern Spain

Strange Conversations With Spanish Women

We also has to hold role playing phone conversations for the spaniards to practise speaking on the phone. A couple of memorable ones were I had to act that part that I had just got married George Clooney and was to be interviewed by a Spanish journalist over the phone. She was doing it all so very seriously and sincerely that I just had to start being really naughty and began explaining how he liked me to wear a Nazi uniform in the bedroom. I think I rather lost her at that point.

Another bizarre phone conversation was with another female. I was supposed to be her partner and had to tell her I was working late but in actual fact was seeing someone else. I rang her, she said she was busy with work and put the phone down. I didn´t know if it was part of the act or not! She rang me back later and said she really had had an important call from work to deal with, but it was quite a good come back. I felt hoist with my own petard! Spanish women rock!

The role of women has changed very much in Spain and I think has the lowest birth rate of anywhere in Europe. It seems to be very much a choice of either career or kids and many choose career. The ones I met were great role models, funny, fascinating and smart in every sense of the word.

From a Contemporary Art Museum in Segovia

Taste The Intrigue

Share A New Adventure

Go For The Magic

We´re Writing The Future

Save The Dream

From a video Art work called Slogans by Antoni Muntadas