Over time we've compiled a list of suggested resources we share with writers and writing contest participants. We count these books as main resources in our “how to write” library. They may be available from your local library and if you’d like to buy them a great place to check is www.addall.com, where you type the book ISBN and www.addall.com will search for many online booksellers and tell you where you can get it at the best price. We've also linked each title to amazon.com, where titles are often available at good discounts.

• Bettelheim, Bruno. The Uses of Enchantment: the Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales. New York: Knopf : distributed by Random House, 1976. [ISBN: 0394497716]. Storytelling is a very powerful means of getting a thought, a truth across...but only when the emphasis is on the storytelling and not on the message.
• Browne, Renni, and Dave King. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print. 2d ed. New York: Harper Resource, 2004.
• Dixon, Debra. Goal, Motivation and Conflict: The Building Blocks of Good Fiction. Memphis, TN: Gryphon Books for Writers, 1996.
• King, Stephen. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft. New York: Scribner, 2000. [ISBN: 0-684-85352-3]. This is an awesome book. Not only do you get King’s biography at the beginning where he reveals who he is in all its vulnerability but you also get some of the best advice on how to write.
• Klein, Cheryl. Rules of Engagement: How to Get (and Keep!) a Reader Involved in Your Novel. Colorado Springs, CO: ChildrenComeFirst.com, 07/01/28, 2005. This is an eBook written by Cheryl Klein, editor at Scholastic. It is available as a free download from Children Come First at, http://tinyurl.com/y34rys
• Lurie, Alison. Don't Tell the Grown-Ups: Subversive Children's Literature (Don't Tell the Grown-Ups). Boston: Little, Brown, 1990. [ISBN: 0316537225].
• Maass, Donald. Writing the Breakout Novel. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 2001. [ISBN: 0898799953]. Both this and the workbook by the same title are excellent resources.
• Maass, Donald. Writing the Breakout Novel Workbook: Hands-On Help for Making Your Novel Stand Out and Succeed. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer's Digest Books, 2004. [ISBN: 158297263X].
• McCutcheon, Pam. Writing the Fiction Synopsis: A Step by Step Approach. Memphis, Tenn.: Gryphon Books for Writers, 1998. It gives great insight on how to put a synopsis together.
• Morris, Judy K. Writing Fiction for Children: Stories only you can tell. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001. [ISBN: 0252026861].
• Paterson, Katherine. The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children. New York: Dutton Children's Books, 2001. [ISBN: 0525464824]. Katherine Paterson, two-time winner of the National Book Award and the Newbery Medal has much to teach us on writing for children.
• Swain, Dwight V. Techniques of the Selling Writer. [New ed.]. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1974. [ISBN: 0806111399]. This book walks you thru step-by-step on not just how to write your book but also what your story needs to have in order to sell.

We'll continue to add to this list as we come across other titles we find helpful. Write back and let us know what your favorite books on writing are and we'll add those to the list as well.