6 Top writing books like Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond

Cover of Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond

Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

By: Steve Almond

4.54

Format: 256 pages, Paperback

The long-awaited book about the craft of creative writing from Steve Almond, beloved teacher, mento…

"What we're doing as writers is convincing strangers to translate our specks of ink into stories capable of generating rescue."

-Steve Almond, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

If you liked the writing plot in Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond , here is a list of 6 books like this:

Cover of Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer's Life by Stephen Harrod Buhner

1. Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer's Life

By: Stephen Harrod Buhner

4.57

Format: 480 pages, Paperback

The first comprehensive work on nonfiction as an art form • Shows how nonfiction, especially how-t… read more

Similar categories in Stephen Harrod Buhner's Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer's Life book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • crafts
  • nonfiction
  • writing
Cover of The Wife by Meg Wolitzer

2. The Wife

By: Meg Wolitzer

3.52

Format: 352 pages, Paperback

"The moment I decided to leave him, the moment I thought, enough, we were thirty-five thousand feet… read more

Similar categories in Meg Wolitzer's The Wife book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
Cover of The Misfit's Manifesto by Lidia Yuknavitch

3. The Misfit's Manifesto

By: Lidia Yuknavitch

4.53

Format: None pages, Hardcover

Misfit - it's such a literal word. A person who missed fitting in, a person who fits in badly or a … read more

Similar categories in Lidia Yuknavitch's The Misfit's Manifesto book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
  • self help
Cover of Travels in the Scriptorium by Paul Auster

4. Travels in the Scriptorium

By: Paul Auster

3.26

Format: 145 pages, Hardcover

A man pieces together clues to his past--and the identity of his captors--in this fantastic, labyri… read more

Similar categories in Paul Auster's Travels in the Scriptorium book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
"These are treacherous times, and I know how easily perceptions can be twisted by a single word spoken into the wrong ear. Impugn a man's character, and everything that man does is made to seem underh…"

-Paul Auster, Travels in the Scriptorium

"Mr. Blank's old friend is acting up again, and because our hero is no longer wearing the cotton trousers and underpants and is quite naked under the pajama bottoms, there is no barrier to prevent Mr.…"

-Paul Auster, Travels in the Scriptorium

Cover of Splinters by Leslie Jamison

5. Splinters

By: Leslie Jamison

3.86

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Recovering and The Empathy Exams comes the riveti… read more

Similar categories in Leslie Jamison's Splinters book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
Cover of Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott

6. Somehow: Thoughts on Love

By: Anne Lamott

3.95

Format: 204 pages, Hardcover

From the bestselling author of Dusk, Night, Dawn and Help, Thanks, Wow , a joyful celebration of lo… read more

Similar categories in Anne Lamott's Somehow: Thoughts on Love book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
  • self help
"I don’t know"

-Anne Lamott, Somehow: Thoughts on Love

"…nobody in isolation becomes who they were designed to be."

-Anne Lamott, Somehow: Thoughts on Love

"Sometimes it all just sucks, as Jesus says somewhere in the Gospels (although off the top of my head I can’t recall chapter and verse."

-Anne Lamott, Somehow: Thoughts on Love

"When I first got sober, a man told me that upon waking every morning, instead of reciting the standard flowery recovery prayer, he said, “Whatever,“ and at night when he turned off his lights to go t…"

-Anne Lamott, Somehow: Thoughts on Love

Cover of All Fours by Miranda July

7. All Fours

By: Miranda July

3.81

Format: 336 pages, Hardcover

The New York Times–bestselling author of The First Bad Man returns with an irreverently sexy, tende… read more

Similar categories in Miranda July's All Fours book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
"But maybe the road split between: a life spent longing vs. a life that was continually surprising"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"Maybe we shouldn't do that," Jordi said. "Flatten ourselves like that. Erratic doesn't have to mean crazy or irresponsible. Shouldn't we be normalizing change?"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"I guess any calling, no mater what it is, is a kind of unresolved ache," I said, giving in to knowing more than him. "It's a problem that you can't fix, but there is some relief in knowing you will c…"

-Miranda July, All Fours

"For me lying created just the right amount of problems and what you saw was just one of my four or five faces- each real, each with different needs. The only dangerous lie was one that asked me to co…"

-Miranda July, All Fours

Cover of Exhibit by R.O. Kwon

8. Exhibit

By: R.O. Kwon

3.24

Format: 224 pages, Hardcover

From bestselling author R. O. Kwon, an exhilarating, blazing-hot novel about a woman caught between… read more

Similar categories in R.O. Kwon's Exhibit book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
Cover of Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt   Bell

9. Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts

By: Matt Bell

4.46

Format: 168 pages, Paperback

They say writing is rewriting. So why does the second part get such short shrift? Refuse To Be Done… read more

Similar categories in Matt Bell's Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • essays
  • writing
  • crafts
  • self help
Cover of Fire Exit by Morgan Talty

10. Fire Exit

By: Morgan Talty

3.79

Format: 243 pages, Hardcover

The blood that came out of me was blood that ran through her veins. It’s strange: all blood looks t… read more

Similar categories in Morgan Talty's Fire Exit book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
"...what's more sacred than laughter at the dinner table?"

-Morgan Talty, Fire Exit

"That's my life, though--not knowing, but wishing. [Charles Lamosway]"

-Morgan Talty, Fire Exit

"We are made of stories, and if we don't know them--the ones that make us--how can we ever be fully realized? How can we ever be who we really are?"

-Morgan Talty, Fire Exit

"...I was thinking and thinking about how, in just the past year, I had just started to know her, but then I began to unknow her, getting farther and farther away like watching a boat drift from the s…"

-Morgan Talty, Fire Exit

Cover of The Fetishist by Katherine Min

11. The Fetishist

By: Katherine Min

3.71

Format: 304 pages, Hardcover

In this hilariously savage, poignant novel by acclaimed author Katherine Min, a grieving daughter’s… read more

Similar categories in Katherine Min's The Fetishist book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
Cover of 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round by Jami Attenberg

12. 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round

By: Jami Attenberg

4.22

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

Inspired by Jami Attenberg’s wildly popular literary movement #1000WordsofSummer, this writer’s gui… read more

Similar categories in Jami Attenberg's 1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • essays
  • writing
  • crafts
  • self help
Cover of Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru

13. Blue Ruin

By: Hari Kunzru

3.86

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

From one of the sharpest voices in fiction today, a profound and enthralling novel about beauty, po… read more

Similar categories in Hari Kunzru's Blue Ruin book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
Cover of Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin by Andre Dubus III

14. Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin

By: Andre Dubus III

4.18

Format: 288 pages, Hardcover

Essays from the literary master and bestselling author of Townie on a life of challenges, contradic… read more

Similar categories in Andre Dubus III's Ghost Dogs: On Killers and Kin book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
  • writing
Cover of The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise by Pico Iyer

15. The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise

By: Pico Iyer

3.61

Format: 240 pages, Hardcover

From "one of the most soulful and perceptive writers of our time" (Brain Pickings): a journey throu… read more

Similar categories in Pico Iyer's The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
Cover of Assassins Anonymous by Rob Hart

16. Assassins Anonymous

By: Rob Hart

3.96

Format: 308 pages, Hardcover

In this clever, surprising, page-turner, the world’s most lethal assassin gives up the violent life… read more

Similar categories in Rob Hart's Assassins Anonymous book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

"The difference between humility and humiliation is willingness. Ultimately, it's not for them. It's for me."

-Rob Hart, Assassins Anonymous

Cover of Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond

17. Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

By: Steve Almond

4.54

Format: 256 pages, Paperback

The long-awaited book about the craft of creative writing from Steve Almond, beloved teacher, mento… read more

Similar categories in Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
  • memoir
  • nonfiction
  • essays
  • writing
  • crafts
  • self help
"What we're doing as writers is convincing strangers to translate our specks of ink into stories capable of generating rescue."

-Steve Almond, Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

Cover of Rejection: Fiction by Tony Tulathimutte

18. Rejection: Fiction

By: Tony Tulathimutte

4.34

Format: 272 pages, Hardcover

From the Whiting and O. Henry–winning author of Private Citizens (“the first great millennial novel… read more

Similar categories in Tony Tulathimutte's Rejection: Fiction book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
"Identity is diet history, single serving sociology; at its worst, a partriotism of trauma, or a prothesis of personality. Privilege discourse a well-meaning attempt to balance scales that have become…"

-Tony Tulathimutte, Rejection: Fiction

Cover of Concerning the Future of Souls by Joy Williams

19. Concerning the Future of Souls

By: Joy Williams

4.05

Format: 176 pages, Hardcover

“Quite possibly America's best living writer of short stories.”—NPR“Williams is a writer for our b… read more

Similar categories in Joy Williams's Concerning the Future of Souls book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • literary fiction
Cover of A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South by Cinelle Barnes

20. A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South

By: Cinelle Barnes

4.27

Format: 189 pages, Paperback

A fierce collection of essays that tackle the question, "Who is welcome?" while also uplifting and … read more

Similar categories in Cinelle Barnes's A Measure of Belonging: Writers of Color on the New American South book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • essays
Cover of Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice by Natalie Goldberg

21. Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice

By: Natalie Goldberg

3.69

Format: 176 pages, Hardcover

Bestselling author and teacher Natalie Goldberg shares her inspiring personal journey out of a deva… read more

Similar categories in Natalie Goldberg's Writing on Empty: A Guide to Finding Your Voice book and Steve Almond's Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

  • nonfiction
  • memoir
  • writing
  • self help

11 best-selling nonfiction books like Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories by Steve Almond

Transform Your Habits

Ensouling Language: On the Art of Nonfiction and the Writer's Life

Stephen Harrod Buhner

4.57

Transform Your Habits

The Misfit's Manifesto

Lidia Yuknavitch

4.53

Transform Your Habits

Splinters

Leslie Jamison

3.86

Transform Your Habits

Somehow: Thoughts on Love

Anne Lamott

3.95

View all the books

20 must-read fiction books like Rejection: Fiction by Tony Tulathimutte

Transform Your Habits

All Fours

Miranda July

3.81

Transform Your Habits

Headshot

Rita Bullwinkel

3.63

Transform Your Habits

My Friends

Hisham Matar

4.34

Transform Your Habits

The Safekeep

Yael van der Wouden

4.08

View all the books

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