Books on writing I like: I agree with King that The Elements of Style is essential. So is Orwell's essay "Politics and the English Language." For nonfiction: The best book is Wm Zinsser's On Writing. For mystery writers: Patricia Highsmith's Writing Suspense Fiction. For screenwriters: Robert McKee's book on "story." The best collection of essays on writing is Flannery O'Connor's classic Mystery and Manners: smart, funny, eloquent, morally courageous. Some of it comes from lectures she gave to writing students.