Steering the Craft vs On Writing Well

Buy Steering the Craft if you write fiction and want exercises that push you to experiment with voice, point of view and sentence rhythm. Buy On Writing Well if you write nonfiction, essays, memoir or on-the-job prose and want a broader, plainer reference. Le Guin's book is shorter and more workshop-oriented; Zinsser's is longer, warmer and built around clarity and cutting clutter. Owners of both tend to treat Le Guin as the craft drill book and Zinsser as the everyday style guide.

• Choose the Steering the Craft if you are a fiction writer who wants ten focused chapters with exercises you can do alone or in a writing group.
• Choose the On Writing Well if you write nonfiction, memoir or work prose and want a long-standing reference on clarity and style.