A review by mariebrunelm
Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story by Ursula K. Le Guin

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

 Do you enjoy books about writing but wish they were more specific? Ursula K. Le Guin, as often, has the answer for you. Steering the Craft isn't a book about creative writing in general, about motivation or how to get to the end of a first draft. It's a textbook about language, how to learn its rules the better to break them afterwards and craft your own style. She talks punctuation, grammar, syntax, with a no-nonsense, tongue-in-cheek voice that I found delightful. Each chapter is short and to-the-point, and followed by writing prompts focusing on craft rather than ideas, as well as points to discuss with a writing group. All these make Steering the Craft a new staple on my shelf of books about writing, one I know I'll come back to regularly, and especially in the revision process.