Top 11 books on Creative Writing: 2023 ( Don’t Ignore)

Nature is so creative beyond our imagination. However, our creativity depends very much on how far our imagination goes. You can be as creative as you can imagine to be. Creative writing is one such genre wherein you can showcase your creative side 

Creative writing is one broad category under which different types of writing fit in.

Creative writing is any form of writing which the writer imagines and produces in the form of written matter. It can be fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and much more.  However, it has to be the original creation of the writer decked up with the writer’s imagination.

To be a creative writer one has to be an avid reader. Reading different authors always helps in generating ideas. That way we also learn from the best in their respective genre. There are extraordinary Creative Writing books written by veterans available, to learn the tricks of the trade. Make the right choice. So how can you choose the right ones?

Top 10 books on Creative Writing

1. Creating the Creative Writers

Get all the latest updates and enhancements in the creative writing field with Creating the Creative Writers, brought on Amazon by Henry Harvin Education. Know all about creative writing, its forms, mastering the process, and the future of creative writing in one exclusive book. Creating the Creative Writers paperback edition is love labour of 200,000+ man hours spent on understanding the creative writing process and thus an ideal handbook for all budding creative writers. 

Simple language style illustrated examples, and anecdotes help with better understanding, thus the book has gained a 5-star rating on Amazon. Get your copy today to begin the journey by clicking on the Amazon link given below:

2. On Writing Well.

Rank #2

Author: William Zinseer

Language: English

Available Formats:

• Audible Logo Audiobook
• Hardcover
• Paperback

This book ranks 2nd in my list of Top 10 Books on Creative Writing.

This book on Creative writing falls under the Descriptive Writing genre which guides you to describe you writing well.. The message given in this book is quite clear and easily understood.  This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to jot down their thoughts about people or places, science and technology, business, sports, the arts, or personal memoirs. On Writing Well teaches you basic rules which help you take cognizance of work done by veteran writers. On Writing well has sold over more than a million copies. Grab your volume now and gain from this valuable resource.

3. Writing Tools

Rank # 3

Author: Roy Peter Clark

Language: English

Available Formats:

• Audible Logo Audiobook
• Kindle store
• audiobooks.com
• Google PlayBooks
• Kobo

This book on Creative writing comes under the Popular Memoir category under Descriptive writing Genre and ranks 3rd in our list of Top 10 creative writing Books.

Writing Tools is a classic book written by Roy Peter Clark for newbies as well as experts. This book can be referred by Students and even veterans. Writing tools is composed of some 50 short essays on various aspects of writing. The author has penned down these using his vast experience in journalism, writing, and teaching.

Writing tools are segregated into four sections, “Nuts and Bolts,” “Special Effects,” “Blueprints for Stories,” and “Useful Habits, Author has given a plethora of examples to make it useful to all sorts of writers. This new edition of this book is also in circulation,. 

4. The Storytelling Code:

Rank #4

Author: Dana Norris

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition

• Paperback-

This book on Creative writing comes under the Storytelling category under the Narrative writing Genre. The Storytelling Code  ranks 4th in our list of Top 10 creative writing Books.

All of us have a tale to tell. There are innumerable stories within us that one needs to narrate in a very impressive manner. The storytelling Code is a great book for Creative Writing.

CODES mentioned in this book if followed properly will help you master the art of storytelling. Advices given by the author are quite funny and common which will encourage you to give you the courage to tell stories in your everyday life, and twrite stories about day-to-day life. People love stories and stories need to be written well.  Stories leave a lasting impression on their audience. The Storytelling Code provides step-by-step help on drafting your storyline. This book will help you turn into a great public speaker.

5. The Art of Storytelling:

Rank # 5

Author: John Walsh

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Paperback

This book on Creative writing comes under the Storytelling category under the Narrative writing Genre.

This book is a masterpiece on how to write good stories.  John Walsh walks us through the steps of the compelling storyteller. He has chalked out the strategies that helped him move from beginner stutterer to storyteller in this book. This book is for those who want to share their story in the form of presentation and mesmerize their read.

With the help of this book, you are bound to be a great storyteller.

6. The Science of Storytelling:

Rank#6

Author: Will Storr

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Audible Audio
• Hardcover

This book on Creative writing is in the Storytelling category under the Persuasive writing Genre.

To Shape your stories better, learn the science behind them. The Science word used in the title by the author is rightly so as he uses psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to support myths and archetypes. This creative Writing book will make you better at persuasion, writing.

The example used by Will Storr to explain is from the likes of Harry Potter, Jane Austen, Greek dramas, Russian Novels, American folk tales, and so on. The Science of Storytelling explains the science behind the stories and what make it work. The Science of Storytelling is a treasure which can be used by writers of all genres, whether novelist, screenwriter, playwright, or writer of creative or traditional nonfiction.

 7. 21 Traits of Great Poetry

Rank #7

Author: Rafa Selase

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Paperback

Though ranked no 7 in our list of Top 10 Creative writing books, it is first in the Poetry category. Poetry is so pure that it touches hearts of all. It is the purest form of expressing ones ideas

This book is an excellent guide for novice poetry writers. This manual will assist you in transforming your writing.  The author here gives us essential traits (as mentioned in the Title itself) of great poetry and how a writer can achieve that.

8. Poetry Handbook

Author  Mary Oliver

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Hardcover
• Paperback

This is another good book enlisted in our Top 10 Creative Writing books for poetry writing ranking at number 8.

As per the author of this book Poetry connects the mind and the heart and her writing effortlessly achieve that.

Mary Oliver gives us an ultimate guide in the form of this book on how to write and understand poetry.

Mary Oliver shares her expert skills of being a passionate, witty, and experienced discreet poet. She takes readers step by step of poem building. Steps like form, diction, sound, sense, rhyming and so on. Author has used references from poets like Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and others. This handbook show us the    inventive and creative mind Mary Oliver — a must-have for all poetry lovers.

9. Writing down The Bones

Rank #9

Author: Natalie GoldBerg

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Audible Audio Book
• Paperback-

This book ranks 9th in our list of Top 10 creative writing books. Natalie Goldberg is an inspirational writer urging writers and would-be writers to take a jump from novice writer to skillful writer and creatively. She has suggestions, encouraging words, and solid advice on practical aspects of writing to inspire her readers. As per her, a good writer has to be a great listener. The more we listen better we write. As per Goldberg  writing lets you reflect on your life and find the real value of your life. The advice in her book is so inspiring for writers.

10. Eats, Shoots & Leaves

This book ranks 10th in our list of Top 10 creative writing books.

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition-
• Hardcover-
• Paperback-

Eats, Shoots & Leaves was published in 2010 by Fourth Estate and is available in the form of a paperback

Eats Shoots and leaves ranks 10th on our list of Top 10 Creative writing books, however, this book can’t be ignored. Even if we master the art of writing under different genres with help of the above-listed books, we must not forget how important punctuations are. Punctuations are crucial for any kind of writing as punctuations help to structure proper sentences and flow. Due to the kind of shortcut writing we are exposed to these days, punctuation seems to have lost its usefulness. Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a book that touches the right chord and attempts to prevent writers from ignoring punctuation usage.

1.1 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Rank#1

Author: Stephen King

Language: English

Available Formats:

• Kindle Edition
• Hardcover
• Paperback

On Writing book of Stephen King tops this list of Top 10 Books On Creative Writing.

This book on Creative Writing comes under the Horror fiction category. This book is helpful to any aspiring writer who wants to write Horror fiction.  Horror excites readers so it is very popular Fiction writing genre.

Stephen King is known as the King of Horror, being true to his surname. He is a master in the literal sense as he advises his book  On Writing about how one should go about writing horror fiction. In this book, he has shared his experiences. It is very strong and very effective as well as interesting to read. If one is looking for some advice on how to write, this book is not to be skipped as a writer has shared his personal experience while penning down this book. I will categorize this under Persuasive writing.

More about creative writing

Creative writing is categorized into 6 writing genres.

• descriptive writing
• narrative writing
• persuasive writing
• poetry writing
• expository writing

Descriptive writing is as name suugesrts , some literary style which the author uses to give descriptions and sensory details. Such details help the reader visualize the story. You can learn this style by reading such books wherein  authors have used this technique. Read and and take dive in this kind of writing in literature. .

Narrative writing is a style  of writing that tells a story, and it is one of four classical influencing kind of style which  writers use to present information. Story writing is best example of this style.

Persuasive writing style persuades readers to believe in an idea or opinion and to do an action. Many writings such as criticisms, reviews, reaction papers, editorials, proposals, advertisements, and brochures use different ways of persuasion to influence readers. Persuasive writing can also be used in instructing budding writer to develop skills to choose their words carefully. Fiction writing can very mush follow this style..

Prose Poetry

There is a poet within all of us. Poetry has various forms like Romantic, Patriotic, Circumstantial, etc. Whatever type it may be you got to follow the few rules of poetry when you’re a beginner.  No need to fret. U can be a poet too.

Prose poetry has gained quite popularity among beginners. This type of poetry is written in prose sentences but can adopt many of the common attributes of poetry. For example, prose poems might focus on sound, tone, symbolism, metaphor, or a specific theme maybe rhyming too. I personally was able to pen down some lines while attending   one of the sessions of creative writing course from Henry Harvin

Expository writing is writing that explains quite literally whether it is enlightening the audience or some kind of exposure. This type of writing is followed by Fourth Estate to its maximum these days. It can also include essays, newspaper and magazine articles, instruction manuals, textbooks, encyclopedia articles and other forms of writing as long as they mean to explain. Expository writing differs from other forms of writing, such as fiction and poetry. In fact, this lesson itself is an example of expository writing

There are many more Writing styles have restricted ourselves to these five here.