Books That Shaped My Writing Journey

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I’m a big believer in going back to my roots — to where it all started. Every journey begins with a single step, and when we take it, we’re usually armed with a few essentials: tools, refreshments, and maybe a map or two. From my early days as a student to taking the freelance plunge, I’ve held on to a few of those “roadmaps” — textbooks that guided me through the basics.

Even though the way we write, produce, and market content has changed, the core principles haven’t. That’s why it never hurts to go “back to school” now and then — to refresh our skills and sharpen our instincts.

I still return to some of the writing books I read early on, and honestly, they hit differently now. With more experience under my belt, I notice things I missed before and find new value in the fundamentals. Here are some key texts that I revisit on a regular basis.

The Ultimate Marketing & PR Handbook

This is one of those ‘Teach Yourself’ publications from Hodder & Stoughton featuring collective contributions from industry experts. I’ll be honest some books in this can be hit and miss – some of which I was forced to discard. This one however is clearer and more comprehensive with insights from leading marketing experts Eric Davies, Nick Smith, and Brian Slater. Their backgrounds are impressive as evident in the text. Too many jokes have been made about marketing and it’s easy to get caught up in that Bill HIcks-esque zeitgeist. However I learned to appreciate the importance of marketing in the digital age and as a freelancer. In my Vlog I say that we all need to be our own marketers and PR agents and this book gave me a good start in understanding that need.

Copywriting; Successful Writing for Design, Advertising, and Marketing – Mark Shaw

The late Mark Shaw was a giant of professional copywriting. In his 30 year career Shaw founded UK design agency Jupiter Design, and was President of Liquid Agency Europe. There he managed global brand and messaging for some of the world’s leading organizations. It makes sense then to learn about copywriting from the best. I struggled to appreciate the difference not only in style but approach to copywriting. Here was where I struggled with breaking into this challenging field. Shaw talks about the ‘So what’ approach and the need to sell the benefits not features of your product or service. Working on a long form piece for a client I referred to this text, and engaged with some of the exercises. Cue the light bulb moment for me and one happy client. Shaw blends clear insight with an assortment examples and exercises to help you implement the techniques featured.

The World of Journalism

I’m a trained and qualified journalist with City & Guilds in Print & Radio Journalism & Public Administration. During my studies I wrote for college publications, local newspapers, and worked in radio broadcasting. I’ve covered fluff pieces for the weekly local rag, and reported on the Poll Tax riots. My radio work covered most topics from entertainment reviews to features on the introduction of the Student Loans Act. For getting back into writing after a long hiatus I needed to refresh my skills and insight.

You might be surprised to learn that the first edition of Brendan Hennessy’s ‘Writing Feature Articles’ was published in 1989 – making it almost ancient. By the time I crawled out of my hiding place to write again Hennessy’s ‘bible’ was on its fourth edition – updated for writing in the digital age. Like Shaw, Hennessy blends instruction with assignments to, again, learn how to apply the techniques.

For me it helped re-define what writing reviews is really about – I mostly write film reviews but have been called on to share thoughts on books, plays etc. Too often I hear, reviewers are just people sharing their opinions – ‘why should I care what they think?’ Hennessey made me appreciate that reviews are another form of reporting – a review is reporting back to the reader (content consumer) what they’ve witnessed. They furnish facts with observation backed by evidence or compelling insights. It fundamentally changed my approach to being a reviewer and appreciated it as another form of journalism.

Where Hennessy looks at structure, layout, and how to get ahead in the industry, teacher and freelance journalist Angela Phillips focusses on narrative and style. Observations are offered referencing various feature articles that include Gary Younge and Boris Johnson (of all people). It was, however written with a purpose – to save print media from extinction. Phillips calls on a need to invest in feature writing, since news reporting is becoming production line – especially true in the AI age.

Phillips talks a great deal about high quality and depth of writing, and in me restored my faith in the continuation of long form content. By using actual articles and breaking them down I had another light bulb moment. It also, strangely, made me appreciate the skill of Boris Johnson as a writer – who knew? When it came to writing a feature on the travel ban for Open Democracy this book played an integral part. I focused less on the content and more on the narrative – what was I trying to say? Mind you: having my wife proof read my drafts and be a sounding board helped in a big way.

There you have it! Just a few resources I keep to hand when I want to refresh my fundamental skills. Whether you’re starting out or are a veteran of the written form what texts and resources do you go back to? What shaped your approach and technique? Maybe you’re not sure where to start – are these recommendations helpful? Let me know in the comments or on social media.