Writing books has changed my life. It helped me clarify my thinking, find my calling as an author, and has providedendless opportunities to make an impact on the world and a living for my family. Bonus: 10 more writing tips! From the book: “A rough draft is best written in the steam-cooker of an already busy life. If you have a million things to do, adding item number 1,000,001 is not such a big deal.” 22. The 90-Day Novel by Alan Watt

Giving your child the opportunity to tell stories orally is a great way to get them used to structuring their ideas and using adventurous language. If they’re not sure where to start, see if they can retell a story that they already know well, like Little Red Riding Hood or Three Little Pigs. If your child prefers non-fiction, encourage them to tell you a subject they are interested in – get them to talk in full sentences with plenty of detail. words–100,000 words = very long nonfiction book / long novel. The Four-Hour Work Week falls in this range. From the book: “Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.” 19. Take Off Your Pants by Libbie Hawker If you’re looking for something that explores the philosophical aspects of writing, Threads asks big questions about writing and the position of the writer in an industry that has largely excluded marginalized voices. Where does the writer exist in relation to its text and, particularly in the case of poetry, who is the “I”? Examining the common white, British, male lens, this collection of short essays will make it hard for you not to critically consider your own perceptions and how they affect your writing process. Some days, it’s easy to write. Some days, it’s incredibly hard. The truth is: inspiration is merely a byproduct of your hard work. You can’t wait for inspiration. The Muse is really an out-of-work bum who won’t move until you do. Show her who’s boss and that you mean business. 17. Take frequent breaksYour child might enjoy keeping a diary or writing short stories based on books they have read or toys they enjoy playing with. Perhaps your child might like to create a poster or mini-book about a topic they love. They might like to create their own comic strip about a character the know well. Be sure to encourage your child to write about what most interests them, as this is the best way to keep them enthusiastic. Continue to encourage your child to draw, colour, paint, and do crafting activities at home using a range of different materials. These activities all provide opportunities to develop control, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. The Best Writing How-To Books 1 Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley The Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “An American Childhood” shares words of wisdom in this handy book where she discusses the difficulties of writing. She writes about how it’s sometimes necessary to destroy paragraphs, phrases and words to reform them as something even better. She also shares advice all writers need a reminder of, like this one: Be more diligent and less self-berating. 15. “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron From the book: “Don't be afraid to write crap — it makes the best fertilizer. The more of it you write, the better your chances are of growing something wonderful.” Books about writing nonfiction 37. On Writing Well by William Zinsser

From the book: “Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience—every reader is a different person.” 38. Essays by Lydia Davis From the book: “It is impossible to consider the lyric without fully interrogating its inherent promise of universality, its coded whiteness.” 34. The Hatred of Poetry by Ben Lerner From the book: “Writing exists (for me) at the intersection of three precarious, uncertain elements: language, the world, the self. The first is never wholly mine; the second I can only ever know in a partial sense; the third is a malleable and improvised response to the previous two.” Books about language and style 7. Dreyer’s English by Benjamin Dreyer Finishing: Nobody cares about the book that you almost wrote. We want to read the one you actually finished, which means no matter what, the thing that makes you a writer is your ability not to start a project, but to complete one.From the book: “In one sense, reading is a great waste of time. In another sense, it is a great extension of time, a way for one person to live a thousand and one lives in a single lifespan, to watch the great impersonal universe at work again and again” 33. Threads by Sandeep Parmar, Nisha Ramayya, and Bhanu Kapil No matter what stage you’re at in your writing career, Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones will help you write more skillfully and creatively. With suggestions, encouragement, and valuable advice on the many aspects of the writing craft, Goldberg doesn’t shy away from making the crucial connection between writing and adding value to your life. Covering a range of topics including taking notes of your initial thoughts, listening, overcoming doubt, choosing where to write, and the selection of your verbs, this guide has plenty to say about the minute details of writing, but excels at exploring the author life. This is the part that I never learned in any English class. Producing work that sells is not just about writing what you think is good. It's about finding an idea that will both excite you and excite an audience. It's about being intentional and thinking through the whole process while having proper accountability to keep you going.

If your child isn’t sure where to start, it can sometimes be helpful to sketch out their ideas first. For instance, can they draw a picture of a dastardly villain or a brave hero? How about a scary woodland or an enchanted castle? Can they draw the shark or spider they want to write an information book about? From the book: “The Hero’s Journey is not an invention, but an observation. It is a recognition of a beautiful design… It’s difficult to avoid the sensation that the Hero’s Journey exists somewhere, somehow, as an external reality, a Platonic ideal form, a divine model. From this model, infinite and highly varied copies can be produced, each resonating with the essential spirit of the form.” 16. Story Genius by Lisa Cron In this memoir-like read, Palahniuk reflects on the art of storytelling through advice he shares about what makes writing and sharing stories powerful. In between anecdotes and decades-worth of postcards from his time on the road, you’ll find a love story to the world of fiction paired with concrete examples of strong storytelling. 27. “The Emotional Craft of Fiction” by Donald Maass From the book: “Here’s the thing: authors don’t find readers; readers find books. [...] Marketing is not about selling your book to readers. It’s about getting readers to find it.” 31. Everybody Writes by Ann HandleyWritten language is often very different from spoken language. Read to your child as often as you can, including longer chapter books and non-fiction books about a subject they are interested in. This will help them to become more familiar with different styles of writing. Ray Bradbury, author of “Fahrenheit 451 , ” put together this book of essays portraying his passion for the craft. It was published in the 90s, but this collection still offers wise advice for aspiring and practicing writers. 25. “The Lonely Voice: A Study of the Short Story” by Frank O’Connor From the book: "Don’t make yourself miserable wishing for a kind of success that you wouldn’t enjoy if you had it." 29. How to Become a Successful Indie Author by Craig Martelle And just a heads up: if you dream of authoring a bestselling book like I have and you're looking for a structured plan to guide you through the writing process, I have a special opportunity for you at the end of this post where I break the process down.