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Writing Book Recommendations: My Actual Reference Shelf

This entry is part 76 of 103 in the series Fiction Writing
TL;DR: When I converted my dining room into an office, I lined the wall behind my desk with books. More on the writing setup behind the shelf. Not for decoration. For work. These are the books I actually pull off the shelf while writing novels, ghostwriting client projects, and developing the 45-plus writing handbooks. Every book on this list earned its place through use. Here’s my actual reference shelf, and why each one stays on it.

What writing books does Richard Lowe keep on his shelf?

The ones you actually use, not the famous titles people buy and never open.
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When I converted my dining room into an office, I lined the wall behind my desk with books. Not for decoration. For work. These are the books I actually pull off the shelf while writing novels, ghostwriting client projects, and developing my writing courses.

Every book on this list has earned its place through use. Some I’ve referenced hundreds of times. Others solved a specific problem on a specific project and stayed on the shelf because the problem comes back. I’m not recommending these because they’re popular or because someone else put them on a list. I’m recommending them because they work.

The categories reflect how I organize them on the shelf: general craft, character development, showing versus telling, mystery and crime research, romance, and science fiction, horror, and fantasy. If you’re a fiction writer looking to build your own reference library, start with the category that matches what you’re writing now. You don’t need all of these at once. You need the right ones for the project in front of you.

The reference shelf by category (full titles listed in each section below).
Category Books Focus
General Writing Craft 2 Foundations, On Writing (King), etc.
Character Development 7 Villains, psychology, character depth
Show Versus Tell 7 Emotion & description toolkits
Mystery & Crime Research 17 Procedure, forensics, investigation
Romance 2 Genre craft and heat-level guidance
Sci-Fi, Horror & Fantasy 10 Worldbuilding and speculative craft

General Writing Craft

  1. On Writing by Stephen King
  2. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Character Development

  1. 13 Steps to Evil: How to Craft Superbad Villains
  2. The Psychology Workbook for Writers: Tools for Creating Realistic Characters and Conflict in Fiction
  3. Creating Character Arcs: The Masterful Author’s Guide to Uniting Story Structure
  4. The Story Works Guide to Writing Character
  5. How to Write Realistic Women
  6. How to Write Realistic Men
  7. Character Traits of Villains: The Guide to Psychopaths

Show Versus Tell

  1. Emotion Amplifiers by Angela Ackerman
  2. The Emotion Thesaurus
  3. The Negative Trait Thesaurus
  4. The Positive Trait Thesaurus
  5. The Emotional Wound Thesaurus
  6. The Rural Setting Thesaurus
  7. The Urban Setting Thesaurus

Mystery and Crime Research

  1. Amateur Detectives: A Writer’s Guide to How Private Citizens Solve Criminal Cases
  2. Armed and Dangerous: A Writer’s Guide to Weapons
  3. Body Trauma: A Writer’s Guide to Wounds and Injuries
  4. Cause of Death: A Writer’s Guide to Death, Murder and Forensic Medicine
  5. Code Blue: A Writer’s Guide to Hospitals
  6. Deadly Doses: A Writer’s Guide to Poisons
  7. HowDunit Forensics
  8. HowDunit: The Book of Poisons
  9. Just the Facts, Ma’am: A Writer’s Guide to Investigators and Investigation Techniques
  10. Missing Persons: A Writer’s Guide to Finding the Lost, the Abducted and the Escaped
  11. Murder One: A Writer’s Guide to Homicide
  12. Order in the Court: A Writer’s Guide to the Legal System
  13. Police Procedure and Investigation: A Guide for Writers
  14. Private Eyes: A Writer’s Guide to Private Investigating
  15. Rip-off: A Writer’s Guide to Crimes of Deception
  16. Scene of the Crime: A Writer’s Guide to Crime Scene Investigation
  17. The Writer’s Guide to Weapons: A Practical Reference for Using Firearms and Knives in Fiction

Romance

  1. Naughty Words for Nice Writers: A Romance Novel Thesaurus
  2. Romance Writer’s Phrase Book

Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy

  1. The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Volume 3: The Author’s Grimoire
  2. The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy, Vol. 1: Alchemy with Words
  3. Fantasy Writers’ Phrase Book
  4. How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy
  5. Storyworld First: Creating a Unique Fantasy World for Your Novel
  6. Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction
  7. Writing About Magic
  8. Writing Fantasy and Science Fiction
  9. Writing Heroes and Villains
  10. The Writer’s Complete Fantasy Reference

How Do You Build a Writing Reference Shelf?

You don’t need every book on this list. You need the ones that solve problems in whatever you’re writing right now. If you’re writing a mystery, start with the HowDunit series. If you’re struggling to make characters feel real, the Ackerman and Puglisi thesaurus books will change how you write emotion and description. If you’re writing fantasy or science fiction, the world-building references will save you from inventing systems that don’t hold together.

Buy the book when you hit the problem it solves. That’s how a reference shelf gets built: project by project, problem by problem. Every book on my wall arrived because a specific manuscript needed it.

For my own craft guidance on fiction writing, including character development, dialogue, world building, plotting, and more, explore my writing courses.

Frequently Asked Questions

What writing books are worth owning?
The ones you actually use, not the famous titles people buy and never open. A useful reference shelf is built from books you return to while working: craft guides, style references, and subject-specific resources that solve real problems. The test is whether a book earns its place through repeated use, not its reputation.
How do you choose which writing books to keep?
By use. The author’s shelf holds only books pulled off it repeatedly during real projects, novels, ghostwriting, handbook development. Books that look impressive but go untouched don’t make the cut. The principle is that a reference shelf should be a working tool, curated by what helps the writing, not by what should help.
Are writing reference books still useful in the internet age?
Yes. While much information is online, a curated shelf of trusted references offers depth, reliability, and quick access that scattered web searches can’t match. Good craft and style books distill expertise into a form you can return to and trust. For working writers, a small set of useful books remains a valuable tool.

Related Reading

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From the review library: Readings For Writers.

Fiction Writing
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CategoriesWritingWriting Craft
TagsCharacter DevelopmentNDAReading LifeWriting CraftWriting Routines & Process
About the Author
Richard Lowe, professional ghostwriter

Richard Lowe is a professional ghostwriter and author with 113+ books authored and 54+ ghostwritten. Before writing full time he spent 33 years in enterprise technology, including 20 years as Director of Computer Operations and Technical Services at Trader Joe's. He writes nonfiction, fiction and memoir, and works with executives and experts on books that build authority.

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Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are solely those of Richard Lowe and are based on personal experience and research. This content is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as professional legal, financial, accounting, or business advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making important business or legal decisions. Richard Lowe is not a lawyer, accountant, or licensed professional advisor, and this content does not establish any professional relationship.

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