Good Books on Writing

At my presentation/chat on Canticle, which was held at the Catholic Writer's Conference Online, someone asked the question, "What books do you recommend for writers, to help them learn their craft?"

It was a great question (thanks, Pat Gohn!). And so ... here are a few writer's resources for you to check out.

For "Canticle" writers: ***Subscribe to the magazine! (Seems obvious, but not universally practiced. Yes, I know money is tight ... and that means if you don't financially support the publications you want to write for, they stand an excellent chance of folding!) So subscribe ... and, like many of our faithful subscribers, don't forget to purchase separate subscriptions for friends and family. You know who you are, Superstars!

Heidi's Resource Shelf

On the writing craft:
The Soul Tells a Story, by Vinita Hampton Wright
On Writing Well, by William Zinsser
You Can Write a Column by Monica McCabe Cardoza (Writer's Digest Books)
Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott
On Writing, by Stephen King
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves by Lynne Truss

Desk top resources (always in arm's reach):
The Bible (RSV/NAB)
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
The Documents of Vatican II
The Associated Press Stylebook
The Chicago Manual of Style
The Christian Market Writer's Guide (by Sally Stuart)
The 2008 Catholic Press Directory

Resources particularly relevant to me (yours will differ, depending on what you're working on right now):
Back issues of "Canticle" (every issue going back as far as I've edited it)
Mulieris Dignitatem
Voices of the Saints (my favorite saint book by Bert Ghezzi)
The Adoption Resource Book (for my adoption blog)
Podcasting for Dummies
Under the Neem Tree (for a novel I'm working on ... slowly)

What resources have you found most helpful?