10 Must-Read Books to Improve Writing Skills

Writing is one of the most essential skills that a student needs to succeed in a school or college. They are often assigned to write papers, essays, and abstracts on various topics and not even only for the Literature class.

Although writing can be viewed as a not-so-difficult task, a closer look will confirm that there’s quite a lot of pitfalls. You have to be aware of numerous techniques, styles, specialties, and shticks to get a good mark. If you struggle with your writing tasks or simply want to level up your writing skills, the following books are just what you are looking for.

“How to Say It” Third Edition by Rosalie Maggio

The book itself is some kind of a vocabulary consisting words, phrases, sentences and even whole paragraphs for a huge number of common situations. Think about reading it if you want to widen your own vocabulary with some nimble words.

“They Say / I Say”: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing by Gerald Graff

If you’re looking for a serious literature about writing but haven’t read some pieces before, this is probably where you should start. The book is written by a Professor in English and Education and also have a lot of examples for the better understanding of the material.

“100 Ways to Improve Your Writing” by Gary Provost

The title of a book speaks clearly for itself. Here you can find lots of advice on writing with many examples. Provost uses very simple language to explain the very basics of writing concentrating on how to make it pleasant for a reader.

“Zen in the Art of Writing” by Ray Bradbury

We are undoubtedly lucky that one of the greatest writers of the past century shared his knowledge and experience with us. As usual, he gets philosophical and tells the reader more about the writer’s personality since every piece of writing is a personal and intimate thing.

“Creative Writing for Dummies” by Maggie Hamand

You’ve certainly heard about the huge series of books for dummies and most likely seen their black-and-yellow cover. So it may be of a great interest for you to read one about writing. Traditionally, the author provides you with numerous techniques, methods, exercises, and gives you advice on how to make your writing more readable.

“The Courage to Write” by Ralph Keyes

When it comes to writing many students experience different fears which are totally justified. The fear of an empty paper, fear to start, fear to make mistakes, fear not to include all your points are a normal thing. In his book Ralph Keys explains all these and many other fears and tells the reader how to overcome them.

“The Forest for the Trees” by Betsy Lerner

The author of this book is an editor herself and she’s written not a how-to instruction but rather the explanation how to do it better. So this book is recommended for more advanced students who seek to do their best in writing.

“The Writing Experiment” by Hazel Smith

Smith is a teacher in creative writing who encourages students to think outside the box. This book is suitable for those who has just started learning how to write and will surely help you develop a brisk sight on your piece of writing.

“The Art of X-Ray Reading” by Roy Peter Clark

This book is a special one since here you can find the analysis of various masterpieces of recognized geniuses in literature. Shakespeare, Dickens, Chekhov and many other famous writers are included in the book so you will certainly find someone who is your cup of tea and will be able to understand the techniques of your favorite author better.

“Legal Writing in Plain English” Second Edition by Brian A. Garner

Last but not least, it’s a good idea considering some traditional textbook. Garner’s book is clear and down-to-earth, he provides the readers with some practical tools for writing and the book itself is a perfect platform to train them as there are given many exercises.

This list of books contains a lot of authors’ personal experience in writing, analysis of various styles and much useful advice that will improve your writing skills and transfer your pieces of writing on a higher level. Don’t hesitate to start wherever you want and pick up a book which will suit you best!