When you publish a new book, you must put aside all the volcanic exuberance generated by your previous work, and venture out again with renewed clarity and focus. You'll never be as naive you were the first time, but you may be as utterly awed—there's a difference. Though I'm nearing my pub date for The Salt God's Daughter, I've already learned many new things that bypassed me on the first book. I will talk about those in my next post. While writing The Salt God's Daughter was a thrill, I thought a lot about what it meant to go out there again after the publication of my first novel. It's clear that the second jump after the first ebullient sensation of flying is a vital one. 

Regardless of the successes or barriers on this mercurial journey, each day requires that you start over, fresh. Refueling often and in myriad ways is important. All of the crafting and canoodling can take you far from your source and leave you hungry. 

You should never go anywhere hungry, my mother used to say.

How then to find the path back to sustenance. Changing your stance about your work to get at the work itself can help. Approach it from a variety of angles. Try different approaches at different times. Here are five books that have provided sustenance for me at different stages of the game:

1. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. It's full of ideas that will help you keep writing and stay renewed. I particularly like the use of art and/or music to spark the muse. As I was nearing the finish line for The Salt God's Daughter, somebody made me a playlist for the book (a list of songs that are thematically linked to the book. You can listen to them here  Music for the book.) This helped me tap into that wellspring of inspiration.
2. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The takeaway: Don't take anything personally. This is the hardest thing for a writer to do. But not doing this can stop you in your tracks.
3. The Breakout Principle: How to Activate the Natural Trigger that Maximizes Creativity, Athletic Performance, Productivity, and Personal Well-Being. Here you'll find strategies for thinking outside of the box, and for approaching your work from different angles. Particularly good for writer's block.
4. Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott—Takeaway (paraphrased): "How do I begin this essay about birds?" asks a young boy. "Just take it bird by bird." Word by word.
5. Developing Talent in Young People by Dr. Benjamin Bloom—About the resiliency of great achievers. Everything in this book can be applied to writers. Brick and mortar advice.

Warmly,

Ilie

Ilie Ruby is the author of The Salt God's Daughter (forthcoming from Counterpoint/Soft Skull 9-4-12) and The Language of Trees (HarperCollins 2010). She has written for the New York Times and CNN and teaches writing in Boston. You can connect with Ilie on Facebook and Twitter, or on her website: www.ilieruby.com.