JustBeginning
Beginner's guide

So you're getting into creative writing

Writing doesn't require expensive gear or an MFA. What it does require is showing up regularly with something to write on and something to write toward. The right craft book at the right moment can change everything. Here's exactly what's worth buying and, just as importantly, what you can skip.

By Colin B. · Published June 4, 2026 · Last reviewed June 4, 2026
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The 60-second version

We earn commission on qualifying Amazon purchases — see our affiliate disclosure. Price tiers and budget totals shown below are editorial estimates; actual Amazon prices vary.

If you only buy 3 things to start:

  1. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft — The single best book on writing craft and discipline, from someone who clearly knows both.
  2. Leuchtturm1917 A5 Hardcover Notebook — The notebook serious writers actually reach for: page numbers, table of contents, paper that handles fountain pens.
  3. Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen — The entry-level fountain pen that makes long writing sessions noticeably more comfortable.
Budget total
$25
Typical total
$75
A $15 craft book and a good notebook get you further than you'd think. Writing software is optional until you're working on something long.
At a glance

Our top pick in each category

The fastest path through this guide — each best-starter pick by category. Scroll for the budget and upgrade alternatives.

CategoryTop pickPriceWhere to buy
Craft BooksStephen KingOn Writing: A Memoir of the Craft$ See on Amazon →
NotebooksLeuchtturm1917Leuchtturm1917 A5 Hardcover Notebook$$ See on Amazon →
Writing SoftwareLiterature and LatteScrivener 3 (Mac/Windows)$$ See on Amazon →
Writing InstrumentsPilotPilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen$ See on Amazon →
Reference ShelfStrunk and WhiteThe Elements of Style$ See on Amazon →
Before you buy anything

A few things worth knowing first

Don't buy software before you have a writing habit. Scrivener is excellent, but a $60 app won't make you write. A notebook and pen will. Start analog, earn the software.

Your notebook matters more than your pen. Most writers have strong opinions about notebooks; very few have strong opinions about which specific ballpoint they use. Invest in a notebook you'll be proud to fill.

Buy one craft book and read it before buying a second. The temptation is to stockpile craft books as a form of procrastination. One book, read closely, is worth a shelf of books skimmed.

The gear

What you actually need

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Craft Books

Your first craft book is the most important purchase you'll make as a writer. The wrong one sends you down rabbit holes of theory before you've written anything. The right one makes you want to close the cover and start a draft. There are hundreds of craft books and most are useful eventually, but only a few are the right call on day one. These three cover the ground most beginners actually need.

Craft Books — what's the difference?

A few common shapes, each making a different trade.

General Craft

Start here: works for any form or genre equally.

Best for
All beginners
Tone
Memoir + instruction
Length
~288 pages

Best for Anyone starting from scratch, regardless of genre

Tradeoff Less form-specific than genre-focused picks

↓ See our pick
Fiction and Screenwriting

Story structure from scene to novel to script.

Best for
Novelists, screenwriters
Tone
Academic, thorough
Length
~466 pages

Best for Writers focused on plot, structure, and scene-building

Tradeoff Dense and demanding; not for casual dabblers

↓ See our pick
Memoir and Personal Essay

True stories told with craft. Voice and honesty first.

Best for
Memoirists, essayists
Tone
Warm, conversational
Length
~237 pages

Best for Writers working from personal experience

Tradeoff More psychological than structural

↓ See our pick
Best starter
Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

$

Half craft manual, half memoir about King's own career. The memoir half makes you want to write; the craft half teaches you how. Covers voice, revision, and reading like a writer. Works whether you're writing horror, literary fiction, or personal essay. The single book we'd hand a new writer on day one.

What we like

  • Half memoir, half craft manual: reads like a story, teaches like a class
  • Covers voice, revision, and the reading habit in plain language
  • King's honesty about failure makes the advice feel earned, not academic

What to know

  • Fiction-heavy: poets and essayists will want a supplemental title
  • No coverage of publishing or submitting your work
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Anne Lamott

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

$

Lamott's take is the antidote to perfectionism. Famous for the 'shitty first drafts' chapter alone. Where King writes from authority, Lamott writes from the mess, and beginners often find her more reassuring. The two books cover different ground and you'll eventually want both.

What we like

  • 'Shitty first drafts' chapter is required reading for every beginner
  • Warm, honest voice that reduces the perfectionism that stops most writers

What to know

  • More about the writer's psychology than craft mechanics
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
Robert McKee

Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting

$

The fiction and screenwriting bible. McKee breaks story structure at a level other craft books skip. Dense, demanding, and worth every page if you're serious about plot-driven work. Wait until you've finished a first draft before picking this up.

What we like

  • Comprehensive story-structure framework used by Hollywood and novelists alike
  • Breaks down what makes scenes and sequences actually work

What to know

  • Heavy and academic: not a beach read, demands full attention
  • Screenwriting framing may confuse prose-first writers at first
See on Amazon →
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Notebooks

Your notebook is where writing actually happens: morning pages, scene fragments, overheard dialogue, ideas you'll lose if you don't catch them. Most writers have strong opinions about notebooks. The short version: buy a real one. The cheap composition-book approach sounds appealingly frugal but produces writing you don't respect, in a place you don't want to return to.

Best starter
Leuchtturm1917

Leuchtturm1917 A5 Hardcover Notebook

$$

Leuchtturm beats Moleskine for writers on one key feature: every page is numbered, with a table of contents in the front so you can find your entries later. Hard cover, paper that handles fountain pens without ghosting, and the binding holds up to years of carry. The notebook serious writers actually use.

What we like

  • Page numbers and built-in table of contents let you find entries later
  • 80 gsm paper handles fountain pens with minimal ghosting
  • Available in dotted, lined, plain, and squared grid options

What to know

  • Pricier than comparable notebooks at $25-30
  • 249 pages fills faster than some alternatives
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Moleskine

Moleskine Classic Ruled Notebook

$

The iconic writer's notebook. Elastic closure, back pocket, and a bookmark ribbon. Not as feature-rich as the Leuchtturm but genuinely good and instantly recognizable. A fair budget pick if the Leuchtturm is out of reach.

What we like

  • Elastic closure keeps it shut in a bag without bending pages
  • Inner pocket holds notes, cards, or loose manuscript pages

What to know

  • No page numbers or table of contents: hard to navigate once filled
  • Thinner paper than Leuchtturm shows fountain pen ink through to the back
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
Rhodia

Rhodia Webnotebook A5

$$

Rhodia paper is the gold standard for fountain pen users. The 90 gsm Clairefontaine paper produces zero bleed-through and near-zero ghosting even with wet inks. The sewn binding lays completely flat, which matters at hour two of a long writing session. Overkill if you use ballpoints.

What we like

  • 90 gsm paper handles wet fountain pen inks with zero bleed-through
  • Sewn binding lays completely flat for comfortable long sessions

What to know

  • Pricier per page than Leuchtturm: best saved for fountain pen use only
See on Amazon →
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Writing Software

Most beginners don't need dedicated writing software. A notebook and any basic text editor will take you through your first year. But when you're working on something long, Scrivener changes how you think about structure. It's less a word processor and more a project management tool for your manuscript. Buy it when you're ready to draft something with chapters, not before.

Best starter
Literature and Latte

Scrivener 3 (Mac/Windows)

$$

Scrivener lets you draft a novel the way you'd write one: in fragments, with the structure visible at all times. Chapters live in a binder, scenes drag to rearrange, and the corkboard keeps your outline next to your draft. The $59 one-time price is cheaper than a year of Word.

What we like

  • Binder system lets you rearrange scenes and chapters without cut-paste
  • One-time $59 purchase, no annual subscription
  • Corkboard and outliner stay visible alongside your draft

What to know

  • Steep learning curve: expect 2-3 hours of setup before real use
  • Not a strong mobile app: best as a desktop-first tool
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Microsoft

Microsoft 365 Personal (1-Year Subscription)

$$

If your writing group, teacher, or eventual agent asks for a .docx file, you need Word. Focus Mode strips away distractions for a clean writing environment. Not as powerful as Scrivener for long projects, but the industry-standard submission format.

What we like

  • Submission-ready .docx files: the format agents and publishers expect
  • Focus Mode creates a clean, distraction-free writing environment

What to know

  • Annual subscription: $70/year versus Scrivener's one-time purchase
  • No binder or outliner: single-document view only
See on Amazon →
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Writing Instruments

The pen you write with matters more than you'd think, and less than fountain pen enthusiasts want you to believe. The real case for a quality pen is ergonomic: a smooth-writing instrument reduces hand fatigue over long sessions. Ballpoints are fine. A fountain pen is noticeably better for an hour of longhand, which is why so many writers swear by them.

Best starter
Pilot

Pilot Metropolitan Fountain Pen

$

The entry-level fountain pen that's good enough to keep forever. At $18, it writes smoother than any ballpoint and makes long writing sessions noticeably more comfortable. The ink reservoir is cartridge-based for easy refilling. Generations of writers have started here and never felt the need to upgrade.

What we like

  • Smooth steel nib reduces hand fatigue over long writing sessions
  • Cartridge or converter system makes refilling easy
  • At $18, less than most notebooks you'll fill with it

What to know

  • Needs cartridges or a converter: not grab-and-go like a ballpoint
  • Nib dries out if uncapped: cap it when not actively writing
See on Amazon →
Budget pick
Pilot

Pilot G2 Retractable Gel Pen (12-Pack)

$

The G2 is the gold standard for writers who don't want to think about pens. Smooth, consistent, cheap, and available everywhere you might run out. A 12-pack lasts months. If you want to start writing without learning fountain pen maintenance, this is your pen.

What we like

  • Smooth, consistent write quality across the entire 12-pack
  • Available everywhere when you need a replacement mid-draft

What to know

  • Ballpoint feel creates more hand fatigue over long longhand sessions
See on Amazon →
Upgrade pick
LAMY

LAMY Safari Fountain Pen

$$

If the Metropolitan hooked you on fountain pens, the LAMY Safari is the natural next step. The triangular grip reduces hand fatigue for long daily sessions, and it's available in a range of nib widths so you can match the pen to your notebook and writing style.

What we like

  • Triangular grip corrects writing angle and reduces hand fatigue
  • Wide range of nib widths for different styles and notebooks

What to know

  • Proprietary T10 cartridges: no generic refill substitutes without a converter
  • Plastic body feels less premium at the $30-40 price point
See on Amazon →
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Reference Shelf

Two books that live on your desk and get consulted for life. The Elements of Style is short enough to read in an afternoon and contains more useful guidance per page than most full-length craft books. A print thesaurus does something a digital one doesn't: it lets you browse concept clusters and find the word you didn't know you were looking for.

Best starter
Strunk and White

The Elements of Style

$

Seventy pages that have improved more prose than any other book in print. Some advice is dated, but the core principles (prefer the specific, omit needless words, use active voice) are still the best starting framework for clean writing. Read it once; reread it after your first revision.

What we like

  • Under 100 pages: reads in an afternoon, referenced for a lifetime
  • 'Omit needless words' alone is worth the cover price

What to know

  • Some advice is dated and prescriptive: treat as guidance, not gospel
See on Amazon →
Specialty pick
HarperCollins

Roget's International Thesaurus (8th Edition)

$$

The digital thesaurus gives you synonyms. The print Roget gives you word families, shades of meaning, and the serendipity of landing on the word you didn't know you needed. Writers who use a print thesaurus often find it changes how they think about language.

What we like

  • Organized by concept: finds words a digital lookup never would
  • Browsing the clusters surfaces language you didn't know you wanted

What to know

  • Index-dependent: the book is nearly unusable until you learn it
  • Bulky hardcover lives on the desk, not in a bag
See on Amazon →
Going deeper

Your first month of creative writing

Most people want to write but wait to feel ready. Here's what actually happens in the first thirty days, what you'll get wrong, and what makes the difference between writers who stick with it and everyone else.

Read the guide →
Save your money

What you don't need yet

Beginners get pressured to buy a lot of stuff that doesn't help them play better. Here's what we'd skip on day one.

  • A Freewrite or dedicated distraction-free device — A $600 single-purpose writing device solves a discipline problem that discipline solves. Build the writing habit first.
  • Writing classes or workshops — Classes are most valuable once you have drafts to workshop. Go in with nothing written and you'll spend the time taking notes you won't know what to do with.
  • Craft book subscription boxes or bundles — One good craft book read closely beats ten books skimmed. Don't stockpile reading as a substitute for writing.
  • A standing desk or ergonomic chair — Worth it eventually, but get the writing habit first. Buying ergonomics before you're writing daily is buying furniture, not a writing practice.
  • A printer and ink — Wait until you're submitting something. Printing a rough draft feels productive and mostly just wastes ink.
  • A writing mentor or coach — Useful after you have a body of work to discuss. Too early and the relationship is expensive advice with nothing to apply it to.
First week

Your first seven days

A short, real plan to get from gear-on-doorstep to actually playing.

  1. Order 'On Writing' and read the first 100 pages before starting anything else. · Buy
  2. Pick a writing time and protect it. Thirty minutes every morning beats two hours whenever you feel like it. · Action
  3. Write something every day this week, even 100 words. Don't edit what you write. Finishing is the skill you're practicing. · Action
  4. Use a writing prompt if you don't know what to write. The Rumpus and Writer's Digest both publish them daily, free. · Action
    • The Rumpus · Literary essays, prompts, interviews. Good for serious adult fiction and essay writers.
    • NaNoWriMo prompts · Free writing prompts and community. November is their big month but resources are year-round.
  5. Order your notebook. You'll fill it faster than you expect. · Buy
  6. Read something every day you want to write like. Not how-to. An actual writer doing the thing you want to do. · Action
FAQ

Common questions

Do I need expensive software to start writing?

No. A notebook and your phone's Notes app can take you through your first year. Scrivener makes long-form work easier, but buy it when you have something to put in it, not before you've written a word.

Does it matter whether I write by hand or on a computer?

It matters a little. Many writers report that longhand slows them down in a way that helps (less self-editing as you go). But the best method is whatever you'll actually do consistently. Start with what you have.

How much should I write per day to improve?

More important than word count is frequency. Thirty minutes daily beats three hours on Saturday. Most writing teachers recommend 500-1000 words a day for serious practice; most working writers produce 500-2000 words in a session. Find a number you can hit most days and start there.

Should I take a class before I start?

Not yet. Classes and workshops are most valuable when you have drafts to share and specific problems to solve. Read a craft book, write some things, and then take a class around month six or twelve when you know what questions to ask.

Is Scrivener worth it?

For short stories, essays, and poems: no. For a novel or memoir over 20,000 words: yes, obviously, and the $59 one-time price makes it cheaper than a year of a subscription alternative. The one-time cost and the structural tools are both worth it once you're working at that scale.

What's the best craft book for fiction writers specifically?

Start with 'On Writing' by Stephen King for voice and discipline. Then read 'Story' by Robert McKee for structure and scene. Those two together cover what most MFA programs spend a year teaching.

Going further

Where to next

Related hobbies

Browse by category

Authoritative sources

  • Poets and Writers — The main trade publication for literary writers. Grants, contests, agent listings, and craft essays. The MFA database here is the definitive resource if you ever consider a graduate program.
  • The Rumpus — Essays, interviews, and writing prompts. Best for literary fiction and personal essay writers. The Dear Sugar archive is a masterclass in voice.
  • NaNoWriMo — National Novel Writing Month. The annual November challenge (50,000 words in 30 days) is the single most effective forcing function for finishing a first draft. Community forums are active year-round.
  • Electric Literature — Contemporary fiction and essays. Read the Recommended Reading series to find what's being published now and develop a sense of current literary standards.
  • r/writing — Active writing community. Skip the 'is my idea good?' posts; search for revision advice, publishing timelines, and craft questions. The wiki has a curated craft book list.
  • The Paris Review Interviews — Long-form interviews with major writers about process, discipline, and craft. Free online. Read two or three and you'll understand why different writers have completely different methods.
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