Many of my friends are writers and bloggers.

My daughter is growing into a writer and artist.

NaNoWriMo is great for kids and young writers! We are including a creative writing credit on her homeschool high school transcript.

It’s sometimes helpful to read from successful writers – a pep talk, how they became successful, or just their fun biography.

Sometimes we suffer from writer’s block and need inspiration to keep going. We never, ever call this procrastinating. It’s research!

I love this Writer’s Prayer:

Oh Lord, let me not be one of those who writes too much;
who spreads himself too thinly with his words,
diluting all the things he has to say,
like butter spread too thinly over toast,
or watered milk in some worn-out hotel;
but let me write the things I have to say,
and then be silent, ’til I need to speak.
Oh Lord, let me not be one of those who writes too little;
a decade-man between each tale, or more,
where every word accrues significance
and dread replaces joy upon the page.
Perfectionists like chasing the horizon;
You kept perfection, gave the rest to us,
so let me earn the wisdom to move on.
But over and above those two mad spectres of parsimony and profligacy,
Lord, let me be brave, and let me, while I craft my tales, be wise:
let me say true things in a voice that is true,
and, with the truth in mind, let me write lies.

~Neil Gaiman (listen to him read it here)

My TOP 10 favorite books for writers:

1. On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft by Stephen King

I love the humor and real life stories. It’s always fun to know the beginnings of a famour writer and how he came to success.

2. You Are a Writer by Jeff Goins

Great inspirational calls to action. These books make you want to be a better person and not just a better writer.

3. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott

Raw, intelligent, realistic writing advice mingled with poignant stories of her life.

4. The Elements of Style, Annotated and Updated for Present-Day Use by William Strunk, Jr.

Every writer needs to know this stuff. Period.

5. Conversations with a Writing Coach by Susan May Warren

Easy to follow advice with an actionable plan to write a novel.

6. Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art by Madeleine L’Engle

Great thoughts on being a Christian artist.

7. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

Great exercises on writing and how to live life to the fullest, based on her writing courses.

8. On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing by William Zinsser

How to write nonfiction well.

9. Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury

It’s by Ray Bradbury. Need I say more?

10. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield (all his books are great!)

Succeed despite all the Resistance.

11. Writing to Change the World: An Inspiring Guide for Transforming the World with Words by Mary Pipher

Words are the most powerful tools at our disposal. With them, writers have saved lives and taken them, brought justice and confounded it, started wars and ended them. Writers can change the way we think and transform our definitions of right and wrong.

Writing to Change the World is a beautiful paean to the transformative power of words. Encapsulating Mary Pipher’s years as a writer and therapist, it features rousing commentary, personal anecdotes, memorable quotations, and stories of writers who have helped reshape society. It is a book that will shake up readers’ beliefs, expand their minds, and possibly even inspire them to make their own mark on the world.

12. The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

Julia Cameron takes readers on an amazing twelve-week journey to discover the inextricable link between their spiritual and creative selves. This groundbreaking program includes:

– Introductions to two of Cameron’s most vital tools for creative recovery–The Morning Pages and The Artist Date
– Hundreds of highly effective exercises and activities
– Guidance on starting a “Creative Cluster” of fellow artists who will support you in your creative endeavors

Do you have any favorite books or tips about writing?

Check out some great resources for writing: Follow Jennifer Lambert’s board Writing on Pinterest.