Best Books About Creativity: Essential Reading List
The best books about creativity — from Bird by Bird and On Writing to The War of Art and Big Magic. Books that help you understand the creative process and do the work.
By Lena Fischer
Books about creativity are useful not primarily because they explain where ideas come from but because they address the more practical question of why creative people don’t do the work — and what to do about it. The best of them are honest about the difficulty of the creative process and specific about what actually helps.
The books below are weighted toward the practical: books that change what you do, not just what you believe.
For Writers
Bird by Bird — Anne Lamott (1994)
The most beloved book on the writing process. Lamott is warm, funny, and honest about how hard writing is and why it’s worth doing anyway. Her chapter on ‘shitty first drafts’ — the argument that the first draft of anything is supposed to be terrible, and that expecting otherwise is the primary cause of writer’s block — has released more writers than any other single piece of advice. The book is also about the relationship between writing and living: what it means to pay attention closely enough to write, and what writing does to the writer.
On Writing — Stephen King (2000)
The most useful writing guide from a working professional. The book is split: the first half is a memoir of King’s early life and the circumstances in which he learned to write; the second half is practical advice on vocabulary, grammar, style, and the mechanics of fiction. King is direct and specific — he believes in reading widely, writing every day, and cutting your first draft by at least 10% — and the memoir sections are among the most engaging writing about a writing life.
For All Creative Work
The War of Art — Steven Pressfield (2002)
The most practically useful book for any creative — the one that names the enemy. Pressfield’s concept of Resistance (the internal force that manifests as procrastination, self-doubt, and distraction when you try to do creative work) has helped many creators identify what was stopping them and treat it as the obstacle it is rather than as a legitimate reason to wait. The book is short, direct, and structured around the principle that the professional shows up to do the work regardless of mood or inspiration.
Big Magic — Elizabeth Gilbert (2015)
The most encouraging of the creativity books, and the most useful for blocked creators. Gilbert argues for approaching creative work with curiosity rather than anxiety — that fear is always present during creative work, and that the secret is to bring fear along rather than waiting for it to leave. Her chapters on ‘enchantment’ (the way that ideas find and pursue us) and on permission (you don’t need to be published or recognised to legitimately call yourself a writer or artist) are particularly valuable.
The Producer’s Perspective
The Creative Act — Rick Rubin (2023)
Rubin, one of the most successful record producers in history, describes his approach to creative work — which is primarily about attention, openness, and removing the obstacles between an artist and their best work. The book is structured as a series of short chapters on different aspects of the creative process (tuning in, the work itself, completion) and is less prescriptive than Pressfield or Lamott. It is most useful for readers interested in creativity as a practice of presence rather than as a set of techniques.
Reading Order
For writers specifically: Bird by Bird → On Writing → The War of Art.
For any creative: The War of Art → Big Magic → Bird by Bird.
For depth: On Writing → The War of Art → The Creative Act → Bird by Bird.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best book about creativity?
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott is the most beloved book about the writing process — warm, funny, and honest about how difficult creative work is and how to continue anyway. On Writing by Stephen King is the most useful for fiction writers — half memoir, half practical guide, it is the clearest account of how a professional writer actually works. The War of Art by Steven Pressfield is the most useful for creative work of any kind — his concept of 'Resistance' (the internal force that prevents you from doing the creative work you are called to do) has helped many readers identify and confront what was stopping them.
What is Bird by Bird about?
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott (1994) takes its title from a story about her brother, who was overwhelmed by a school project on birds and paralysed by the scope of what he had to do until his father told him to take it 'bird by bird.' The book applies this lesson to writing — and to creative work generally — with warmth and self-deprecating humour. Lamott is honest about the difficulty of the creative process (including her famous chapter on 'shitty first drafts'), about the role of jealousy and self-doubt, and about why the work matters anyway. It is the most humanising book on the writing process.
What is The War of Art about?
The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (2002) argues that the primary obstacle to creative work is what he calls Resistance — the internal force that manifests as procrastination, self-doubt, distraction, and all the other strategies the mind uses to prevent the creative act. Pressfield argues that Resistance is universal and inevitable, and that the only response is to turn professional: to show up every day, do the work regardless of mood or inspiration, and treat the creative act as an obligation rather than a gift. The book is short, direct, and has been described by many writers and artists as the book that unlocked them.
What is Big Magic about?
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (2015) takes a more mystical approach to creativity than the other books on this list — Gilbert believes that ideas are living beings that seek human partners for their realisation, and that creativity is a collaboration between the human and something larger. Whether or not you accept the metaphysics, the book's practical argument — that creative work should be approached with curiosity rather than anxiety, that 'done' is better than 'perfect,' that fear is inevitable but need not be obeyed — is consistently useful. It is the most encouraging of the creativity books, and the most useful for blocked creators.
