Xiane’s Library

These are all books in my personal reference library that I have used and recommend to other writers. I’m breaking these down into Educational and Inspirational groups, though there may be some crossover. If there’s a book you’ve enjoyed that you don’t see on the list, please send me a recommendation and I’ll check it out!
Please check back often, as this list will be updated regularly.

Educational

• Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion, and Theme by Martha Anderson and Jordan Rosenfeld
• Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft: A step-by-step guide to revising your novel by Janice Hardy
• Better Blurb Writing For Authors by Olivia Atwater
• The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maas
• Writing Your Story’s Theme: The Writer’s Guide to Plotting Stories That Matter by K.M. Weiland
• Steering The Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula Le Guin

Inspirational

• The Wayward Writer by Ariel Gore
  “Summon Your Power to Take Back Your Story, Liberate Yourself from Capitalism, and Publish Like a Superstar.” Lots of essays/short stories plus exercises to extend your writing skills inspired by those essays and stories.
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
  “Julia Cameron’s novel approach guides readers in uncovering problems areas and pressure points that may be restricting their creative flow and offers techniques to free up any areas where they might be stuck, opening up opportunities for self-growth and self-discovery.”
• Pocket Workshop: Essays as living as a writer, edited by Tod McCoy
  “Included here is advice for handling writer’s block, working with voice, and using allegory, as well as methods for scene-setting, landing a good finish, writing despite distractions, mentoring, and so much more.”
• Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses
  “How can we rethink craft, and the teaching of it, to better reach writers with diverse backgrounds? How can we invite diverse storytelling traditions into literary spaces?”

[Some of these links are affiliate links. What that means is that I am referring you because I like and use this item, and I’ll get a little bit of cash for recommending it, which supports me and my work. Everyone wins!]