What to Get Your Favorite Writer for Christmas

By Sean Brenner

The holidays are nearly upon us, and for many people, that means buying gifts for friends and family. If you haven’t completed your shopping yet or are busy wracking your brain for items to add to your own wish list, we’ve got some book suggestions that any writer is sure to appreciate. (And if either of those labels applies to you, you might benefit from reading this other blog post of mine.)

The Conscious Style Guide by Karen Yin 

The Conscious Style Guide is invaluable for expunging unconscious biases and ensuring that your writing is respectful of all people. It helps you identify insensitive language in your writing and, more importantly, it helps you build a mindset that encourages critical thinking, communication, and empathy. See Erin’s post for more information.

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Volger

For fiction writers, Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey is the ultimate resource for mythmaking. Building on the work of Joseph Campell, this book guides you through writing the classic Hero’s Journey mythic structure. 

For those interested in the theory behind this story structure, Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces is also well worth a read.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

For nonfiction writers, Zinsser’s On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction is a useful guide to improving virtually every facet of your writing, applicable to all forms of nonfiction.

The Glamour of Grammar by Roy Peter Clark

The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English by Roy Peter Clark is an excellent resource for better understanding writing mechanics.

Hopefully, one or more of these books can provide inspiration for your favorite writer or you. Have a restful holiday season, and I’ll see you in the new year!