10 Essential Books About Writing | Bitch Media

Writers have long been fascinated with themselves and their craft, seeing a wealth of material in what is seemingly a rather mundane art-merely putting words on paper, or words onscreen. But in their own reflections, which can often border on myopic, writers have developed an entire, fascinating genre of writing about writing. In some ways, almost all popular stories are about writing. One could argue that even The Iliad is about the artist's internal struggle between suffering for their art and dying unremembered. But sometimes, artists get more explicit with their musings on writing as an art form, either through analytical essays engaging with literary theory or vibrant tales about writers' lives and the power of words. In this list, you'll find novels that explore the question of why we write, essays about the writer function in both the metaphysical and the societal, and instruction on how incarcerated people can build a rich literary life from within prison.