These are not necessarily in order. If I wanted to write, I would read the book, Becoming a Writer. This book was written a long time ago. The advice it gives is timeless. The author mentions the little fact that if you want to become a writer, the first thing you should do is set yourself the task of writing every day. If over the course of a couple of months, you are unable to consistently write each day. If you continually miss or find excuses not to write. Then, she states, you probably don't want to be a writer. The rest of the book is dedicated to really good advice and suggestions.

The next book I would read is Stephen King's book, On Writing. I will admit, I first read the book IT by Stephen King in college. I couldn't stop reading. He is an amazing writer. But I hate his subject matter. And now I hate clowns. Thanks Mr. King. But this book, On Writing, is incredible. It is upbeat and down to earth. He discusses, in the first half of the book, his experiences becoming a writer. When I read about his finally getting Carrie published, I almost teared up for joy. I was ecstatic for him. The second half of the book gives very concrete suggestions of what you can do to become a writer. It goes through habits you should develop and how much you can expect to actually write. Great book.

The third book I would read is Anne Lamont's book, Bird by Bird. This gem helps those of us who have little patience that any endeavor is a step by step process. To get to the end, you just have to go little by little. It is impossible to jump to the end and wake up one day with a published best seller. To get there, you need to write every day.

Notice the recurrent theme. To become a writer, you must write regularly. Daily. After lots of practice, your writing will improve and you will be able to write those wonderful ideas you have whirling about in your head in a coherent and cogent manner. Get writing. And in your spare time, read these books

 The next two books I would read about writing are, On Becoming a Novelist by Mr. Gardner.  This is a very detailed book about the character traits that any writer probably will need to become successful.  Mr. Gardner knows what he is talking about, teaches it in a clear, concise, and organized manner.  This is a book to help you take a hard look at who you are and what you really want. 

Finally, I would read, Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury.  If for no other reason than that he is one of the best writers ever.  Read it.  He gives great gems of wisdom out throughout the entirety of this book. 

The following books give more advice on how to write as opposed to how you should be arranging your life so as to make time to write. These are fabulous books. Once again, in no particular order, these are my favorite books on improving your writing.  If I were to choose just one of them, though, I would choose Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School.  This attends to all of the various parts and pieces of a book.  It talks about plot, characters, tone, and so many more things.  This is a great all around book.

One of may favorites of this group is Noah Lukeman's book, The First Five Pages.  As an editor, he knows what he is talking about.  Get it right in the first few pages and you have won over your reader.  Blow it at the beginning and no one will ever read on.  You have to, to use a fishing metaphor, not only bait your hook but you must set it also.  Get the reader asking questions they want solved from the very beginning and they will stick with you through the whole.  I also reall like the book Make A Scene.  This book focuses on creating each chapter or section of your book into a scene.  Each one must stand on its own two feet.  If it doesn't, it needs to be improved or thrown out.  This book helped me realize that although an entire book is all one entity, each little chapter has to be one also--or else it drags on the rest o9f the book.

The last two books on writing I really like are first, Orson Scott Card's book How to Write Science Fiction & Fantasy. This is a great read--even if you aren't going to write in this genre. The book takes you through many of the things you should consider as you create a world or situation that doesn't actually exist. Great, specific advice from one of the leaders in the industry.

The final book, Writing the Breakout Novel, is fantastic. It takes you through the steps of rewriting your book. Or you can even read it before you begin. It has good advice from an industry expert on what to do to make your novel stand out.

The Bonus Book is The Lie That Tells a Truth. I think this is a great book. Upbeat and specific, it helps you work through writing a book. Written by someone who knows because he has written and been published, this book is a definite one to consider.