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12 Must-Read Books to Transform Your Writing: From Grammar to Storytelling Mastery

victortanws
 

One of the coolest things that we can do as a species is write, and write you definitely have to on every aspect of life and also the IGCSE First Language English exams.

Almost every good writer is also a good reader, and how appropriate that is given that language is so vast, so wide, and so infinitely creative that people can even write books about writing.

Here are a couple of recommendations for you on your writing journey for those of you who are interested in writing for pleasure (thinking about how to put your sentences together and wanting to get new perspectives apart from those which I offer through this website).

Each of these is going to be an interesting read, and I definitely recommend at least exploring them.

Here we go!

1. Foundational Writing Guides

  • The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White
    • Why: Strunk & White is a standard issue writing guide for university students, but don’t let that deceive you – it is filled with rules that, although may seem simple, are actually both deep and very effective. This book taught me how to cut out unnecessary words, tighten up my sentences, and make every word count. If you want to learn to write with strength and confidence, this book is a good first step!
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/eltsofstyle 
  • On Writing Well by William Zinsser
    • Why: This is a great book for those of you who are interested in nonfiction. When I first started out, I struggled with trying to be “fancy” in my writing—overloading it with unnecessary complexity. Complexity is often the enemy of delivering a message across. And for those of you who understand what writing is about, this book will provide helpful tips and also a good message to remember.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/onwritingwellzinsser 
  • Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams and Joseph Bizup
    • Why: Small changes—like adjusting sentence structure— Can elevate your work, and this book will help you refine your voice and improve your flow by teaching you small lessons in clarity and grace that you may very well nee
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/clarityandgrace 

2. Creative Writing and Inspiration

  • On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
    • Why: This is more of a memoir about a very famous writer’s writing process. It’s not just about the craft or the discipline, which you’ll certainly learn about—King also talks about the perseverance needed to get through the tough days, which should be an interesting look into the mindset of someone who has reached world-renowned status when it comes to writing.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/onwritingbyking 
  • Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott
    • Why: Lamott’s writing is filled with humor and wisdom; she teaches that writing doesn’t have to be perfect from the get-go and that revising is part of the process – a good book on embracing imperfection can add a lot of colour into how we process the world and construct it with our words.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/birdbybirdlamott 
  • The Writing Life by Annie Dillard
    • Why: Dillard’s vivid descriptions and meditations on the act of writing inspired me to approach my work with more reverence and commitment. It gave me the perspective I needed to continue writing, even when it felt like the world wasn’t interested in what I had to say – a good reflection point for those of you who are students and just exploring your writing identities.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/writinglifedillard 

3. Writing Techniques and Craft

  • Writing Tools: 55 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark
    • Why: This book gives you a toolbox of practical, hands-on techniques that you can apply immediately. What’s great about this book is that you can pick it up, read a short chapter, and start applying the advice right away.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/writingtools 
  • Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee
    • Why: As someone who writes both fiction and nonfiction, McKee’s insights into story structure were eye-opening. While the book is aimed at screenwriters, the principles of character development, plot progression, and creating emotional engagement resonate with all kinds of writers and provide some pretty interesting insights into screenwriting, which is something that not everyone is familiar with and that is definitely worth learning about.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/mckeesss 
  • The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
    • Why: Every writer knows that self-doubt and procrastination are constant companions. This book helped me see those moments as part of the process, and it showed me how to fight through them. It gave me the mental tools to treat my writing like a professional, no matter how tough things got.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/twoa 

4. Grammar and Sentence Craft

  • Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose by Constance Hale
    • Why: Grammar isn’t just about rules; it’s about style. Learning to break the rules intentionally for effect opens up a whole new level of writing, and Sin and Syntax is an interesting introduction to that.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/sinandsyntax 
  • Woe Is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English by Patricia T. O’Conner
    • Why: O’Conner’s approach to grammar is lighthearted and accessible, and that’s what makes it so valuable, and it helps you understand that proper grammar is not just about being “correct”—it’s about making your writing clearer and more effective.
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/woeisi 

5. Miscellaneous (but interesting!)

  • The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century by Steven Pinker
    • Why:  Ever wonder about how the brain processes style? Discover that from world-renowned Harvard linguistics professor Steven Pinker as he talks about how our writing styles are processed through people’s brains as you think about how your words impact the minds of the people around you.

      It’s definitely a fascinating read and highly recommended if you’re interested in not just writing but also the connection with linguistics and the scientific method!
    • Purchase: https://geni.us/pinkersenseofstyle 
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The Reading We Do

victortanws
 

As a teacher of English, it’s natural that I want my students to have both a good understanding of language and also a strong ability to produce language.

Luckily for all of you, I have a (no-brainer?) recommendation for all of you – both of these are improved by reading because of how it exposes students to the English language, and that is what I thoroughly and wholeheartedly recommend to you today:

Please read!

Before you start reading TikTok captions and Instagram posts as a reaction of annoyance though, please note that I don’t think that’s going to get you very high-quality information. Articles? Sure, they can be good and valuable for niche information and you can definitely learn a lot if you have high-quality information sources, but if you want to get advanced knowledge in something, take in really good quality ability to write and read… You will have to break the curse of your generation, reclaim your attention span, and pick up a good book!

As you know from perhaps reading my previous posts or the simple fact that I teach English and am catering to all of you here who are interested in the English language, you may well realize that there is a sort of special joy for me when I think about the books of my early days: 

It is that interest that has powered me in many ways towards a steady interest in English as a language and the world that it’s opened up and the ideas that it made possible:

I believe that they are one of the reasons why I ended up developing the English language mastery that I developed. 

That said, I realise that not everyone is aware of what books are the very best, so I thought I’d give it a shot to tell you about what to read. I’ll probably be coming up with a couple of these lists here and there over the course of the next week, covering a range of different topics for your reading pleasure. 

In the coming days, I hope to share a couple of different book recommendations that I have had over the course of the days – not just for students but also for those of you who are parents out there and who are thinking about the kinds of things that you should read and think about in the course of your journey.

I hope that it is going to be helpful for you! 

As a disclosure, I will be using affiliate links, and I may earn a small portion of what you choose to purchase. Thank you in advance for supporting my journey!

I’m including my first post on this in the next entry, although I might make this into something a little more extended soon!

P.S. My first entry in this series is up! Happy reading!

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Blog

A Public Library Memory

victortanws
 

In this blog, I often talk about how to get better at the English language.

Today, I thought I would do something a little different:

I’d like to share a story with you – the story of what I genuinely believe made me good at using English.

I was born in Johor Bahru, Malaysia – but I never really stayed there for long, never really got to know the place very well; because of my father’s job, we often moved from place to place, scattering ourselves across the country – from the south part to the north part of Malaysia. To say the least, it was a bit of a chaotic childhood.

One of the anchor points of that childhood was the Kedah public library.

I remember the scene distinctly, though the details escape me – I am sitting down at a table in morning sunlight, which casts the scene in a soft shade of what I would call resplendent calm; in the path of a ray of light emitted from a window, small dust particles flicker in and out of existence, attendants to the light.

The book appears to me, yet it fades out of memory – but what I remember is how the plastic chair supports me and my mother does as well, sitting behind me as she turns the pages, which flicker and rustle in the sunlight as words sound out softly in the still air.

I couldn’t tell you why that scene is one of the most meaningful I’d ever experienced in my life, but it is there that I remember everything: the library, the smell of books wafting from the shelves – the old and brown paper that touched my fingers as I opened each little book.

There was the wonder of my childhood years – the memories that stream out from small moments that took place when I was just five.

That memory has never escaped me, and the emotions that come with it abide with me whenever I think about books, about what they meant to me growing up, and what they continue to mean to me whether I teach, I read, I learn about the world.

When I think about learning, I think about that ancient memory enshrined in my heart – it causes me to remember that there is a meaning in my learning that converges in escaping back into a time of wonder and towards a time when I was younger, more impressionable, more free-spirited, where a life that could take any shape was a possibility.

Does such a moment exist for you, dear reader?

I wonder.

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