I recently returned from the annual PCA Women’s ministry Leadership Conference where I facilitated our fifth writer’s event. (I love when things like that become a tradition!) Each year, the event has been different. We’ve explored and highlighted different aspects of writing, including growing as a writer, writing different genres, blogging, and publishing.
Each year we’ve had a variety of different women participate in a panel discussion. I love these panels because we get to hear from women of all ages and stages, both in life and in writing. We learn from those who write Bible studies and those who write fiction. We hear stories from both new and seasoned authors. We talk about the Christian’s purpose and goal in writing. And we receive encouragement to keep moving forward in our writing, one word at a time.
In thinking about our panel discussion from this year, I thought it might be helpful to share some of my favorite books on writing. I’ve collected a number of books over the years, including books on writing poetry and non-fiction, books on the craft of writing, books on the mechanics and grammar of writing, as well as writing memoirs from various authors.
for my birthday one year and it is a treasure! I savored it, reading it slowly, one chapter at a time. This book looks at the creative life of C.S. Lewis and reveals his growth as a writer, his struggles in writing, and his writing process. It is both fascinating biography and inspiration for writers. The end of each chapter contains a writing exercise to implement and practice what was discussed in the chapter. 
is a classic every writer should have on their shelf. In his straight forward, no nonsense way, Zinsser provides practical tips on how to improve and sharpen one's writing. I also highly recommend his other books, such as Writing About Your Life, Writing Places, and American Places. 
is a small handbook on the mechanics of writing, including punctuation, sentence structure, and even commonly misused words and phrases. If you've forgotten what you learned in high school English class, you'll want this book on hand. 
is a fun way to learn about punctuation. The author is British, so there is some difference in how we use punctuation in the US, but she points out those differences. Punctuation does matter, and unless you are a grammarian who loves the rules of the English language, you may forget some of the finer rules. This is a great little book to add to your writing library.
. Here's a favorite quote: "the chief difference between the Christian and the secular artist--the purpose of the work, be it story or music or painting, is to futher the coming of the kingdom, to make us aware of our status as children of God, and to turn our feet toward home." Another good one is Letters and Life: On Being a Writer, On Being a Christian
, by Bret Lott.
. Writing involves some challenging things for writers to navigate, including both affirmation and rejection, the uncomfortable feeling writers have in marketing one's writing, receiving critique and criticism, and much more. This short book by Tim Keller grounds writers in the truth of who we are in Christ and what God thinks of us. It is good heart preparation for all that writing entails. These are just a few of my favorite writing books on my shelf. How about you?
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