Kindle
$14.99
Available instantly
Audiobook
$0.00
with membership
Hardcover
$19.95
Paperback
$7.49
Kindle Price: $14.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $19.68

Save: $6.69 (34%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Thomas C. Foster
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

How to Write Like a Writer: A Sharp and Subversive Guide to Ignoring Inhibitions, Inviting Inspiration, and Finding Your True Voice Kindle Edition

by Thomas C. Foster (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 45 ratings
See all formats and editions

The New York Times bestselling author of the beloved classic How to Read Literature Like a Professor teaches you how to write everything from a report for your community association to a meaningful memoir in this masterful and engaging guide.

Combing anecdotes and hard-won lessons from decades of teaching and writing—and invoking everyone from Hemingway to your third-grade teacher—retired professor Thomas C. Foster guides you through the basics of writing. With How to Write Like a Writer you’ll learn how to organize your thoughts, construct first drafts, and (not incidentally) keep you in your chair so that inspiration can come to visit.

With warmth and wit, Foster shows you how to get into (and over) your best self, how to find your voice, and how to know when, if ever, a piece of work is done.

Packed with enlightening anecdotes, highlighted with lists and bullet points, this invaluable guide reveals how writers work their magic, and reminds us that we all—for better or worse, whether we mean to or not—are known by what we put on paper or screen, both our thoughts and our words.

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    308 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  5. Publication date
    September 6, 2022
  6. File size
    2199 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next slide of product details

From the Publisher

banner top
banner bottom
literature How to Read Poetry Like a Professor nonfiction Novels 25 Silver Screen
How To Read Literature Like a Professor How to Read Poetry Like a Professor How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor How to Read Novels Like a Professor Twenty-Five Books That Shaped America Reading the Silver Screen
Customer Reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
7,323
4.6 out of 5 stars
360
4.3 out of 5 stars
430
4.5 out of 5 stars
383
4.4 out of 5 stars
84
4.4 out of 5 stars
67
Price $9.00 $10.99 $11.78 $7.49 $10.89 $11.16
✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Foster […] offers in this friendly guide practical advice on developing a voice and writing ‘like you mean it.’”  — Publishers Weekly

“Foster brings his experience as a teacher and writer to this genial guide to the writing process.”  — Kirkus Reviews

"A writing guide that digs below thesis, punctuation, paragraphs, and sentence structure to offer a philosophical view of the art of written communication." — New York Journal of Books

“Thomas C. Foster must have been the sort of memorable college professor whose classes filled up fast with long-waiting lists. Fortunately, he has written this bright, positive and helpful work . . . . This is truly an inspired writing manual for everyman. Writing can be a struggle but this slender volume can offer fine assistance in making it better.” — BookTrib

About the Author

Thomas C. Foster is the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, How to Write Like a Writer, How to Read Nonfiction Like a Professor, and other works. He is professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan, Flint, where he taught classes in contemporary fiction, drama, and poetry as well as creative writing and freelance writing. He is also the author of several books on twentieth-century British and Irish literature and poetry.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09N8R92ZL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial (September 6, 2022)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 6, 2022
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2199 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 308 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0063139413
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Thomas C. Foster

Thomas C. Foster

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Thomas C. Foster is a professor of English at the University of Michigan-Flint, where he teaches classic and contemporary fiction, drama, and poetry, as well as creative writing and composition. In addition to How to Read Novels Like a Professor, he is the author of How to Read Literature Like a Professor and several books on twentieth-century British and Irish fiction and poetry. He lives in East Lansing, Michigan.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
45 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Shane Paul
5.0 out of 5 stars Great addition for my Writing collection
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
I'm an author working on his own novels and this book was a useful addition.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jess Coulter
5.0 out of 5 stars Great for AP Classes
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is great for people teaching AP Language or Seminar
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Matthew Rapaport
4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview. Focused a little on non-fiction, but helpful to all.
Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2022
Verified Purchase
A good general guide to the process of writing on both the strategic (how to shape a piece of work overall, from conception to final polish) and tactical (sentence and paragraph structure, ordering, opening, and closing). Dr. Foster avoids it being a book of rules, but he cannot escape a book of guidelines.

The intended audience, he tells us, is important. Dr. Foster’s target is reluctant writers, those students, and professionals who must write but would rather not. Mostly then, this is about non-fiction, from book reviews, eulogies, letters, journalism, and legal briefs to theses. But the fictionalist should not, for that reason, ignore the book. Many of Foster’s examples are taken from literature and a long career encompassing almost every sort of writing imaginable. His observations on the overall writing process, the high-level structure of a work, and on down to the paragraph and sentence apply equally to fiction and non-fiction.

On social media, many writers of fiction bemoan what they call “imposter syndrome.” These are people who want to write, sometimes even enjoy the process, but despair of ever being “good enough.” For those writers (and yes, if you write, you are a writer), Dr. Foster has a whole chapter and many observations scattered throughout the book.

It is good from time to time to be reminded of all the many steps that can, ultimately, yield one’s best possible (never perfect) piece of writing. Few writers (especially me) will employ every step, but adding a few to your process, whatever it is, cannot help but make you a better writer.
16 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Ivy Reisner
5.0 out of 5 stars A great overview of the entire writing process
Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2024
There are enough exercises in this book that it isn’t well suited to the audio format, at least not for me. It’s not the kind of book you can listen to for however long you’re out for a walk or whatever, which is usually how I consume audiobooks. It’s the kind of book that’s meant to read some of, take notes, and work the exercises. I find the exercises worth doing.

It’s not a write this genre or that kind of book. It’s not focused on one element like plot or dialog or characterization. It serves more as a view from 50,000 feet kind of guide, briefly looking at a bit of everything. For someone starting out, that’s ideal.

The writing style is excellent — conversational and engaging. The narration is fantastic.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
I really enjoy books on writing and over the years I’ve read quite a few of them. Even if a book covers information I’ve heard before I still consider it worth reading. I could be wrong but I believe it was Zig Ziglar who once said “repetition is the mother of learning.” And I agree because sometimes it’s hearing the same information told in a different way that will make the information click for you. And I have to say I absolutely loved the way Thomas Foster imparted knowledge in How To Write Like a Writer. His writing style is easygoing, almost conversational. The chapters are short, only a few pages and follow a set pattern: he imparts a piece of writing advice using a particular writer as the focus (a journalist/novelist/etc), gives a coaching tip, and then ends each chapter with a notable quote. I really enjoyed this book and think it’s worthwhile for anyone from a novice writer, to a professional writer, to anyone just interested in the subject of writing itself. Thanks so much to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of How To Write Like a Writer.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Daniel A.
1.0 out of 5 stars Printing issues
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
Verified Purchase
I received the book with a completely blank cover. I’m assuming some kind of printing error. I cannot comment on the contents of the book, as I have not read it but the blank cover is concerning.
Helpful
 Report
Joseph Blackhurst
4.0 out of 5 stars More of a book on academic writing
Reviewed in the United States on December 12, 2023
This was a pretty good book and offers some unique lessons. The majority of chapters seem to lean towards non-fiction and academic writing and offer less value to improve the reader's fiction writing. On one hand, it's refreshing to find a writing book that tackles the academic writing perspective.

However, customer expectations with writing books are that they're fiction-focused unless stated otherwise, and the marketing and sales material did not make it clear that this book really isn't a book on fiction writing, and to say the book helps all types of writing really isn't true since several chapters are only non-fiction and academic research focused. Ultimately, I didn't buy what I expected but I still got value from it.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Kitties & Kindles
4.0 out of 5 stars Writing
Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2022
How to Write Like a Writer, A Sharp and Subversive Guide to Ignoring Inhibitions, Inviting Inspiration, and Finding Your True Voice by Thomas C. Foster was only the second book I’ve seriously looked at for a greater knowledge of how I might write a better review.
I wasn’t paying attention in school and suffered from the boring old formats.
The author compelled me to see that I will learn from exercising my abilities and better understand my writing with practice. Also that failure can teach me a lot. I need to to a lot more thinking and practicing. I love the “reading journal” and “practice rewriting news paper articles” for practice.
I could go on and on but I just say that I found it helpful.
I’m no writer nor will be, but I’ve definitely been inspired to try. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for some solid insight.
Thanks Harper Perennial via NetGalley.
My favorite quote:
“All writing is an act of imagination. Use yours. Discover or invent the best way to say what it is you have to say in your writing. Don’t write the way you think a book would have you do it. Write the way you think and feel will best do the job.”
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report