We're back with the second installment of Team Talk, our new column where we, the small but mighty Porch Team, sound off about all sorts of things—most writerly, some not, but all things about which we're enthusiastic, opinionated, or curious. This week: Craft-of-writing guides.

Writers love books on the craft of writing—or do they? Some of us do, some of us don’t, as you’ll find here. I think we’d all agree that no single book can teach you how to write, nor can any one teacher. What works? Read obsessively, practice, follow your intuition, and share work with trusted readers when the time feels right. There’s no definitive method for writing, but this is as good an action plan as any. In addition, dipping into a craft book every now and then can be just the inspirational jolt you need—as can be a Porch class! ;) 

Here, a few of our favorite craft-of-writing books:

Bonnie St. Martin: The Diary of Anais Nin taught me to write fearlessly and without inhibition. Although it’s not an actual “craft book,” it is, without a doubt, a lesson on how to write the authentic self.

Joe Kane: Lol. I don't really like craft books. How about this: Inside My Pencil by Peter Markus. This book is about the craft of teaching and using creative writing to forge connections with other people. Pete is the kind of guy who can walk into any room on any day and inspire people to look at the world in a new way.

Halley Corapi: I first read the anthology Planet on the Table: Poets on the Reading Life, edited by Sharon Bryan and William Olsen, while studying poetry in undergrad, having previously written primarily fiction and creative nonfiction. As writers, we all started as readers engrossed and inspired by others' stories, preoccupations, and signature creative styles. This book was the tool that enabled me to fully make the jump from reading poetry—and wishing I could write it—to writing it.

"Of all the books on writing poetry, not one we knew of dealt with reading [...] It has been our experience that reading is at the very least the first part of the creative process, and itself a creative act—mysterious and fluctuating, alternately baffled and rapt, questioned and questioning: like writing."

Katie McDougall: An anonymous Porch citizen kindly deposited The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface by Donald Maass on the bookshelf at The Porch House. This gem's thirty-five exercises as well as analysis and examples have been enormously helpful me in thinking about the emotional lives of my characters and how to better layer in nuance and texture.

Susannah Felts: I've turned to Bret Anthony Johnston's Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer many times over the years for useful fiction and creative nonfiction exercises. A solid addition to any writer or teacher of writing's bookshelf. Runner up choice: The Tin House Writer's Notebook volumes I and II. I particularly like Dorothy Allison's essay on place in the first volume and Antonya Nelson's essay on revision in the second.

Nina Adel: I was introducted to Wonderbook by Jeff Vandermeer at Yaddo last year, and enjoy it because of its strong visual, playful  nature, which helps overcome my tentative approach to writing fiction without subterranean nonfiction influences.  I also love Ways of Seeing by John Berger: It's helpful to me because it focuses on a discipline away from writing—visual art—but is absolutely applicable, freeing when I feel hemmed in by my own primary discipline.  I can't choose! I won't choose! I love them both!

Yurina Yoshikawa: Mine is The Art of the Personal Essay, an anthology edited by Phillip Lopate. The essays range from the classics to the 21st century, from all over the world, organized by themes.It's a tome (700+ pages!) but each essay is between three and 10 pages, so it's a great resource that I've been snacking on slowly over the last 10 years. Lopate also provides context for each writer and his own anecdotes before presenting each essay, so the book is accessible to anyone, regardless of your exposure to creative writing.

Leigh Anne Couch: When I was teaching (and when I do the occasional poetry workshop these days), The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach, by Robin Behn and Chase Twitchell, can be really helpful. Oh, and I loved Essential Haiku, edited by Robert Haas, for my own practice. But beyond that, I often shut down when given direction on how to write, if you know what I mean.

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