Girl Reading at a Table, Pablo Picasso, 1934, Photo by Wallyg on Flickr

“Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that. Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life.” ~~~Stephen King

Sometimes I feel as if when I’m reading, I’m wasting time. Shouldn’t I be working, writing? This may go back to my childhood when I was often told I should be “doing something” instead of “just reading.” Thank you, Stephen King, for validating the hours I lay on my couch devouring the written word.

Those hours reaped many revelations and epiphanies in my own inner life right along with the characters. Some books have stayed in my imagination for years. Even though the plots may have dimmed in my memory, the emotions the stories evoked remain. These long lasting tales are the types of stories that inspired me to begin writing. Over the years, as my writing develops and changes, the books that inspire me change with it.

At the end of each year, many people feel compelled to write lists. Lists of things done, lists of things to do, lists of who’s naughty and nice. In keeping with this tradition, what are your top ten books that have inspired your writing? Since I’m asking you to share, I’ll tell you what’s on mine.

1. The Fire in Fiction, by Donald Maass
I just finished reading this one, and I’ve already filled it with notes in the margins. Many of those notes have spilled over into the margins of my manuscript.

2. Writing the Breakout Novel, by Donald Maass
Along with the workbook, this reference is considered indispensable by many novelists.

3. On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
This was my first book about writing, and I’ve kept it lo, these many years. I now have the 30th Anniversary Edition, and enjoy it as much as the original.

4. Zen in the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury
This collection of essays helps me stay grounded and focused in my writing.

5. Techniques of the Selling Writer, by Dwight V. Swain
Although this book has been in print for decades, I discovered it only this year. It’s so full of tabs and bookmarks I can barely close it.

6. On Writing, by Stephen King
I loved his novels when he first began writing. This book gives insight into the writer’s mind and life.

7. Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively, by Rebecca McClanahan
This little tome will sweep you away in its rivers of descriptive prose.

8. Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
This gentle guide allows us as writers to accept ourselves as we are, and to strive to be better, just a little bit at a time.

9. The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield
The intricately woven plot details in this book and the way the author deftly arranges them like threads in a lace pattern, amazes me. Each time I read it, I learn something new about plot and atmosphere.

10. Any of Harlan Coben’s books.
Yes, I’m counting his several novels as one point on my list, and no, I don’t think that’s cheating. Harlan Coben is a writer who can twist a plot so tight you can hear it scream for mercy. You never know what to expect at the turn of each page. He’s a plot master to learn from, so if you haven’t read one of his books, do so immediately.