Ultimate List of Writing How-To Books to Help College Students

December 23, 2021 Popular

Whatever career you choose, it is important to hone your writing skills. Whether you’re a future marketer, software developer, nurse, or accountant, you need to know how to convey your thoughts in an appropriate form.

The first thing you should know is that writing skills can be taught. Even if your papers are far from perfection right now, the more different essays you write, the better your results become. Of course, it is a good idea to send a “write my paper for me” message and ask for help when you experience difficulties. But it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to become a real professional and nail all the topics.

The second thing you should know is that a good writer is always a good reader. If you want to know how to come up with a brilliant hook, or how to finish an essay so that your readers experience specific emotions, you should learn from the best ones. We want to share some books that will surely boost your academic literacy and writing skills!

The Best Books To Improve Your Writing Skills

Honestly, you don’t have to read all these books to become a better author and write essays that impress your professors. The point is not how many different books you read, the point is how you approach new information, use this knowledge. There are situations when you should hire an online essay service because it is the only way to boost your grades. So, remember that there is no silver bullet.

Jeff Goins: You are a Writer (So Start Acting Like One)

If you believe that writing can become something more than just your college assignment, you’ll like this book. It is perfect for content creators and bloggers who are looking for a roadmap and clear advice to make their efforts noticed. However, even if your current issue is “I can’t write my essay”, you still can read this book because it is a pure dose of inspiration. Jeff Goins shares his own story of self-doubt, tells about mistakes he made and lessons he learned on the path of becoming a seasoned author.

Stephen King: On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

We bet you know about Stephen King and his amazing stories. Each of his books is a modern classic, and if you want to develop your fiction writing skills, you surely need to learn from this great author. Not only does this book share King’s origin story, but it also provides readers with valuable tips. For example, it tells you how to express the most interesting questions (just ask a What-if question), shares the secrets of the best stories (don’t end up with events, docs on people, and characters). Stephen King teaches to avoid passive tense, to create stories that consist of narration, description, and dialogue. In fact, he shares a lot of interesting tips but the bottom line is that you can create your own rules when it comes to your writing. Of course, it is not that easy when it comes to academic assignments. That’s why creative authors usually need help writing an essay — they are looking for someone who is able to meet all the professor’s requirements.

Ann Handley: Everybody Writes: Your Go-to Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

If you’re already trying to promote your content, e.g. in your blog, you surely know about the fierce competition. The same works for students who want to stand out among their peers, to make their writings noticeable.

Ann Handley believes that your words are your currency: they tell your readers who you are. Whether you’re a future marketer, blogger, or nurse, you share different messages with other people all the time. Speaking about lessons that will help you to come up with stellar ideas for essays, we want to highlight the next ones:

Whatever sentence you’re going to write, its beginning should matter;
Focus on quality, not quantity. Reframe your writing goals if needed;
Check all facts that you use in your papers;
Personalization is a king;
You can record your thoughts and write them down later.

Obviously, it is impossible to add all of Handley’s tips in this article. That’s why it is better to read the book and pick up some good tidbits that will work for you.

Gary Provost: 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

The next book on our list is pretty easy and fun to read. It is not a regular textbook that your professors assign you to read, it is rather a friendly guide that helps you to find your writing style and unique voice.

There are two main reasons to fall in love with Gary Provost’s book. Firstly, it is brief but sweet, and you don’t need to spend hours poring over it. And secondly, the author guarantees that your writing will improve after you finish this book. He says that if it doesn’t, it means that he has failed, not you.

Speaking about lessons that you can learn for your persuasive essay writing, you should definitely pay attention to these ones:

Steal from other authors. Of course, you shouldn’t plagiarize your content but it is a vital skill to absorb information around you and learn from the best ones.
Experiment with the length of your sentences — they should sound like the music, they should please the readers’ ears.
Watch your vocabulary, use the words that compress a lot of meaning, dense words. For example, you can write “monthly” instead of “once a month”, or “inconceivable“ instead of “impossible to imagine”. You don’t need to sound fancy; your main goal is to make your paper understandable.

You don’t need to apply all the new tips in one essay paper. Start with small milestones and move to bigger goals. It would be also a good idea to request feedback from your professor and analyze the mistakes so that you know what direction requires the improve.