3 non-obvious books to improve your storytelling
Three books that you wouldn't immediately think of as incredible resources for writers.
Last week I compiled a list of my all-time favourite books on writing well and crafting incredible stories. There are 18 of them in total, and they cover everything from general writing advice to technical writing skills, craft and technique, and keeping the creative well full.
You’d definitely recognise many of my picks, which include Lisa Cron’s Story Genius, Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird and perennial favourites from Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, and Ursula La Guin. It’s basically the book-list version of the dinner party I want to be invited to.
As I compiled that list, I began thinking: what are the less obvious picks? What books would you never land on by doing a Google search, but which make really incredible resources for writers?
Here are three of my secret favourites:
The Flavour Thesaurus
In her book, Niki Segnit breaks down flavour profiles and identifies ingredients which match that profile, and what they pair well with from a flavour perspective. It’s not really a recipe book so much as a tool for sparking ideas for creative flavour combinations.
I love cooking with this book, but I also frequently use it as a resource for describing how food tastes and thinking up unique meals or regional flavour profiles that might exist in my fictional worlds.
Colour: Travels Through the Paintbox
This book by Victoria Finlay is a glittering gem. Her prose is beautiful, but what she unpacks with it is fascinating: the history behind colour and paint. She includes a bit of colour theory but mostly focuses on the stories that underlie colour and its relationship to art, fashion, and design.
If you’re searching for words to describe colour, and to bring a fictional world to life, you’ll find a lot of inspiration in this lovely little book.
A Practical Handbook for the Actor
This book (written by 6 actors who worked with David Mamet and W. H. Macy at New York University and at the Goodman Theatre) is a fantastic introduction to the techniques that actors use to break down a scene and get to the emotional core of their character. It is incredibly goal/objective oriented and aims to equip actors to communicate the truth of a character.
As a writer, I found this book helpful for thinking about how my characters embody their world, and to make more interesting choices about their mannerisms and physical actions — essentially all the non-verbal ways we show who a character is, and what they care about.
Thinking of buying one of these?💙
Please try to order them from your local independent bookstore! Independent bookstores are more than just shops; they're community hubs where stories are cherished and shared.
By purchasing these books from your local indie bookstore, you're also supporting a literary culture in your community. That’s worth the trip :)
I’d love to know what non-obvious resources you use for worldbuilding, character development, and plot development. Send me your secret favourites and I’ll share the list!