Ms. Lamott has a way of making everything -- every bad habit, every way you procrastinate -- seem forgivable and human.

An easy-to-read, engaging formula for writing a salable work of art. Notice I say "work of art," not "Hollywood blockbuster."

Buy this for Kevin Brockmeier's "The Ceiling." It's the winning story and the perfect confluence of contemporary drama (a story about adultery) and Twilight Zone-esque surrealism. Heartbreaking.

Yeah, ok, it's a shooting script, not a final draft. But you can still learn a lot about character development, pacing and gentle humor from this deft movie script.

I haven't read this yet, but I've read/heard two of Lissa's teleseminars on Publicity Hound, and she's very knowledgable. This book should be very helpful in teaching "out of the box" thinking.

Packed with great writing prompts from some of America's best poetry instructors. My freshman creative writing class utilized this book to excellent effect.

I'm dying to read this after hearing a story about it on NPR. Limited resources are making me wonder if it should be on my Wish List instead...

I picked this up at a parking lot sale and fell in love with it. These stories are amazing, creepy, and shockingly un-p.c. They'd never fly on TV now, but they're fun to experience on paper.

A perfect first novel. You'll read it and either get inspired or give up.

Looks gorgeous on your shelf. Oh, and the stories aren't bad either. Plus Flannery conjured the best damned story titles ever.

I've heard great things about this work of creative nonfiction by poet Cynthia Huntington.

It's nice to be reminded of the humble and oftentimes ignoble beginnings of rich screenwriters. Helps you stick it out on those days when your car doesn't start and your computer dies.

Ah, and who can forget this little overpriced gem? Great for knocking burglars unconscious. I keep it by my bed for just that reason. And it puts me to sleep in 5 seconds flat.