From Flashlight Worthy, a list of “10 Great Books on Writing” (here):
- The Situation and the Story: The Art of Personal Narrative by Vivian Gornick
- Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (one of Leigh’s favorites)
- If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit by Brenda Ueland
- One Year to a Writing Life: Twelve Lessons to Deepen Every Writer’s Art and Craft by Susan M. Tiberghien
- Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg
- The Courage to Write: How Writers Transcend Fear by Ralph Keyes
Plus four others that seemed more appropriate for fiction writers than us law profs laboring mightily with summer research and writing.
I haven’t read any of these books other than Lamott’s, but if my “writer within” could be “freed” sooner rather than later, my draft might progress faster.
-Bridget Crawford
A wonderful book to add to this list is Carolyn Heilbrun’s Writing A Woman’s Life.
I read Heilbrun’s work as an undergrad; but now as a law student I find her themes in many streams of feminist legal thought.
I also recommend “Writing for Social Scientists” by Howard Becker (whose own work defies all the negative stereotypes that too often are true of sociological writing). Much of his advice is useful for academics in all fields.