Books that, er, saved my (writing) life

In the vast sea of writing advice, there are some uncharted books that deserve some mention, and even some well charted ones that require re-appraisal. Some of these are like hen’s teeth (unlike DVDs or CDs, no one tends to reprint niche books, so finding these books are a bit of an adventure themselves - which is a pity). However, there is one book I advise any would-be writer of Fantasy/Sci-Fi or Horror to spend time tracking down:

As you can see, my copy is well loved. How to Write Tales of Horror, Fantasy and Science Fiction isn’t just a “How to” book, but a series of talks from some of the best names in the field. Indeed, think of it as a creative writing course with different lecturers every week and you’ll get more out of this 242 page book than you would from a twelve month university or college course.
Among those bestselling authors dealing out priceless advice are Ramsey Campbell, Richard Matheson, Dean R Koontz and Ray Bradbury. There are 26 chapters on the mechanics of writing dealing with everything from avoiding clichéd plots and what’s been done to death, to naming conventions within fantasy universes (and if you’ve ever read a fantasy book where the heroes are called Callcunith or Haveriill or something equally odd, you’ll appreciate this quite tongue-yet-informative-in-cheek guide to avoiding the hackneyed approach to monikers).
Particularly good are the chapters on effective writing techniques in horror (and how to scare the hell out of your readers without grossing them out) and sci-fi (and the conflict over using hard science in your fiction).
There are also practical chapters on submitting your work to editors that might be a little out-of-fashion in today’s publishing world, but the general principles are the same. The book is rounded off with a useful series of top-ten lists of favourite books and short stories by the top writers of those genres, followed by a “recommended” reading library.

All in all, it’s a book that’s priceless to prospective writers in these genres, and I guess of great curiosity-value to readers. I wouldn’t say it’s saved my writing-life, but its profundity certainly guided it, and I still look through my copy for inspiration when those metaphorical dark clouds loom on the laptop-screen…