Okay, so I'm still in a daze about seeing my book cover yesterday, so I've got books on the brain today. I'm one of those people who thinks "if I have a problem, there's a book out there that will tell me how to fix it." So far, I haven't been steered wrong on that. Whether it's cooking, gardening, caring for cats, parenting, pregnancy, or how to collect McCoy pottery (my latest obsession) I inevitably turn to a book.

But the most meaningful books have been the ones that have helped me as a writer. More than just telling me "how to write," (because no one can really tell another person how to do that---we each develop our own mojo given time) these books inspired me to get my butt in gear and see myself as a writer. You might be surprised with some of the selections, because they generally deal with writing fiction. But, when it comes down to it, writing is writing, and no matter what we write, the first step is to apply ass to chair and get to work. Each of these books, at different points in my life, have helped me do just that.

Top 5 Books for Writers

5. Wild Mind
/Writing Down the Bones
by Natalie Goldberg
These are actually two separate books, but everyone I know who has read them has a clear favorite. Both are good, but I liked Wild Mind best. Goldberg focuses on trying to make you see yourself as a writer---getting past inhibitions each one of us has, keeping your hand moving, and breaking through your insecurities. She focuses on important issues like being specific vs. generalizing---for example, not "tree" but "gnarled old red oak." This was probably the first book that really made me get to it, and I still have my old dog-eared, highlighted copy above my desk.

4. Bird by Bird
by Annie Lamott
If you only take two things away from Lamott's book, the ideas of the "one inch picture frame" and taking it "bird by bird" are enough to give you a lifetime of inspiration. I never would have gotten through either the About.com hiring process or the co-writing of the book without keeping "bird by bird" in mind.

3. If You Want to Write
by Brenda Ueland
If You Want to Write is basically Wild Mind with a less-hippie tone to it. I actually have this book on tape and used to listen to it while I was jogging.

2. Sometimes the Magic Works
by Terry Brooks
While this is a book about writing fiction, Brooks has plenty to say about things like outlining, developing a writing schedule, and revision. More than that, though, he lets us peek into his life as a writer--how he got started, how he's felt working on different projects, and the ups and downs of his career. Part how-to, part memoir---this book just generally inspires me to keep going.

1. On Writing
by Stephen King
You might think this is a book for fiction writers, based on King as author, but it is so much more. If you want to write, and intend to take it seriously, this is a must-read. Like the Brooks book, this is part memoir, but King also gives plenty of solid information for how to develop yourself as a writer. One thing I loved is that he finally says it flat out---writers need to learn grammar. He totally rips the whole notion that it's okay for a writer not to understand grammar, and he makes sure we understand that anyone can learn the basics. This is my favorite quote from the book, and I have it printed out and stapled to my bulletin board above my desk:

"You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair--the sense that you can never completely put on the page what's in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page."

So, there are my top five books to help get into your writing groove. Are there any that I haven't mentioned that have really done it for you? Tell us about them!

Oh, and if you're looking for something more immediate, Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings has a beautiful post up today, titled Always Learning, that perfectly expresses why writers are so lucky to do what they do.