King, Stephen.
On Writing
. New York: Scribner, 2000. -- King offers some funny anecdotes about his early writing years, from high school to his first major publication and gives information about description, dialogue, characterization, symbolism, and theme.
Koch, Kenneth.
Rose, Where Did You Get That Red?
New York: Vintage Books, 1973, 1990. -- The most recent edition features a new introduction
Koch, Kenneth and Farrell, Kate.
Sleeping on the Wing
. New York: Vintage Books, 1981. -- An anthology of modern poetry with essays on reading and writing.
Lewis, C. S.
On Stories and Other Essays on Literature
. New York: Harcourt, Inc., 1982. -- Lewis offers nine essays about the excellence of Story, including “On Stories” and “On Three Ways of Writing for Children.”
Mock, Jeff.
You Can Write Poetry
. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writer’s Digest Books, 1998. -- An excellent primer for learning figurative speech, prosody, and poetic devices. Mock’s book offers a wide array of poems to emphasize. He includes anecdotal material, word lists, and a glossary that all serve to make his book highly userfriendly.
Padgett, Ron, ed.
The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms
. New York: Teachers and Writers Collaborative, 1987. -- Seventy-four entries of poetic forms, including definitions, historical backgrounds, writing methodology, and examples.
Strunk, William, Jr. and White, E. B.
The Elements of Style
. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1979.