Writing: Friends on the Shelf

No matter how many writers like to claim theirs is a solitary vocation, I just don't buy it. None of us really writes on our own, and any writer or reporter worth her salt learns from instructors she probably hasn't even met. 

Specifically, it's those published writers, alive or dead, with a single book or a dozen, who inspire us with sentences that sing, paragraphs that leave us breathless and stories that stay planted in our souls and hearts and minds for years. They shape our craft. And they form our vision of what writing could—and should—be. 

So here are my top three books from writers on writing whom I return to often and absolutely call mentors and friends:

Mystery and Manners by Flannery O'Connor. The Southern Catholic writer died too young (at age 39 in the early 1960s) but this non fiction collection of her essays establish a standard and a philosophy for writing. I've often told friends that reading O'Connor's fiction makes a lot more sense once you've understood from Mystery and Manners just why she's doing what she does. Amazing.

The Elements of Journalism by Bill Kovach & Tom Rosenstiel. After interviewing scads of reporters, editors and citizens over several years, Kovach and Rosenstiel first published this gem in 2001. They explore crucial elements around the most important tool a citizen has to be self governing, elements that still guide good journalists and help them remember who they work for (the people), why verification matters and how journalism remains a primary avenue for monitoring power and giving voice to the voiceless. This is my go-to text when teaching journalism.

On Writing Well by William Zinger. To this day, I still hear "Uncle Will" (as students and I came to call him) speaking gently over my shoulder as I chose a word or write an essay. His guide to non fiction writing remains delightfully practical, engaging, and insightful in reminding writers to cut the clutter, follow the story, ask the right questions and keep it simple. His 'less is more' approach to writing is probably the most helpful writing lesson I've had. This is the book I refer writers at all stages to dive into. No one regrets reading this zinger. 

There are others as well: Annie Dillard's The Writing Life, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, Stephen King's On Writing, Stephen Koch's The Modern Library Writer's Workshop: A Guide to the Craft of Fiction. You get the idea. These 'teachers' sit next to others, below some good children's books and beside a bunch of novels, biographies and non fiction books I've loved over the years. 

The biggest lesson here? Writers read. Just as artists study the greats, a writer's best resource—aside from a curious and attentive soul—is other writers. 

As Flannery said, "Any discipline can help your writing . . . anything that helps you see, anything that makes you look. The writer should never be ashamed of staring. There is nothing that doesn't require his attention."