Some say writing can't be taught, but writers aren't natural born killers of darlings. One way to become a writer is to absorb the small canon of books written about writing. Sound a little meta? Well, it is. But whether you're looking to ease into creative writing, think about literature in greater depth, or simply discover what it is writers think about writing, these books offer the pleasure of writers thinking about and doing what they do best.

Underwood Elliott Fisher Co. - Frank Buck's elephant and giant typewriter. Image ID: 1685591

Burning Down the House by Charles Baxter
Charles Baxter's Burning Down the House has become a holy text for those who write, think about writing, and want writing texts to offer more than a "You go, girl!" ethos. One of the finest American authors alive today, Baxter is especially eloquent in his essay on the author's responsibility to defamiliarize the familiar.

The Curtain: An Essay in Seven Parts by Milan Kundera
The author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being argues that if our ideas about the world form a curtain, the novelist's job is to rip the curtain down so that we can see what's behind our preconceptions. It's a tall order and one that he points out has been accomplished by the likes of Tolstoy, Kafka, and Gombrowicz.

The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White
Yes, that E.B. White. As in the E.B. White of Charlotte's Web fame. With William Strunk, White wrote perhaps the most doted upon style guide in American history, including famously brisk advice like, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all his sentences short, or that he avoid detail and treat his subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. ”

How Fiction Works by James Wood
Although best known for his criticism, James Wood is a novelist in his own right. In How Fiction Works, he nails down craft with a mechanic's eye for the engineering of literature, providing illustrative examples that form something like a greatest hits of the canon.

The Art of Syntax: Rhythm of Thought, Rhythm of Song by Ellen Bryant Voigt
When it comes to writing guides, poets are often woefully overlooked. Ellen Bryan Voigt's contribution to The Art of Series provides a masterful analysis of the technical fireworks that occur when one word follows the next. 

The Novels and Tales of Henry James by Henry James
If you're the sort of person who enjoys watching making-of documentaries, then you'll find Henry James's novels to be a treasure trove. Before there were special features on DVDs, there were James's prefaces. Each provides something like the story behind the story or what he often refers to as "the germ."

For more great writing advice, check out the best writing tips authors have shared with NYPL.