Books to Inspire you to Journal better

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battle by Stephen Pressfield. Even though Pressfield is a writer, this book isn’t really a writing book, per se. It’s equally as applicable to any creative endeavor. Its main focus is to help you overcome your natural resistance to pushing forward through what is hard about creativity. This book has changed my perspective about creativity more than any other book I’ve read. I cannot recommend it highly enough!

The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it For Life by Twyla Tharp. Tharp is a choreographer and dancer, so it follows that this, too, isn’t a book just about writing. It focuses on creative processes, how to establish them in your daily routine and then how to let them help you thrive. It includes assignments and exercises to help you develop your processes, as well as stories from Tharp’s life that illustrate real-life applications. One of the things I love about this book is how varied her examples are—you don’t have to be a dancer to see her perspective.

Zen in the Art of Writing: Essays on Creativity by Ray Bradbury. The thing I love about Bradbury writing about writing is his enthusiasm for the task. There’s no whining or moping around about how hard it is. Instead he revels in how fun it is. “If you are writing without zest, without gusto, without love, without fun,” he says, “you are only half a writer.” This little book will help you find more of your complete writing self.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott. The fact that this book, published in 1995, is still in print is testament to its endurance. Lamott explores the writing life, from writing a first draft to the final publication. Even if you don’t want to write novels, what she writes about writing itself will inspire your journaling.

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg. Goldberg manages to connect spirituality and creativity in this classic book about finding your inner writer. Her words are so securely confident and assertive that your own confidence cannot help but grow as you read it.