These two books are both incredibly useful...

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690

http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Style-4th-William-Strunk/dp/0205313426

I consider them two of the best books on writing. There are several others that are also excellent that deal more in-depth with different aspects of writing (dialogue, characterization, etc.), but these two will help most people improve greatly. I hope they help.

I'm really sorry Wolf, but I can't find it... She changed her blog/website around.
Anyway there's still plenty of useful stuff on there. (also, HWs podcast is FULL of great advice... )

Writing Magic, Creating Stories That Fly. (by Gail Carson Levine)

"It takes a mean author to write a good story."

This book is an amazing help for me in revision. I literally went through it with a bunch of highlighters. I will warn you, though, that it's not totally clean. There are a few language and content issues (mostly in the excerpts she provides), so use discretion.

http://www.amazon.com/Manuscript-Makeov ... 466&sr=1-1

And this, if you can in any way afford it (warning - the first price I found was $300), is one of the best writing resources I have ever found. I adapt much of it to suit my own purposes, but still the information is solid and it's even Christian! If you can just get the Compass (the textbook) it's worth it. I don't know of any place that sells it alone though.

http://www.oneyearnovel.com/

And the best resource ever is read. Read classics, read modern, read as many different authors and genres as you can get your hands on. Read Kipling. Read Kathy Tyers. Read Kate Constable. Read Sharon Hinck. Read Jeffrey Overstreet. Poke your head in the Watchtower, find something that intrigues you, and read it! Make sure to keep a lookout while you're reading for things you like that the author does. Be conscious of what techniques they use for suspense, character development, plotline, backstory. This is something that has to be learned. So get at it.

:O Oh my gosh!! I am actually doing this curriculum!! It really helps A LOT! (It is supposed to be for high-schoolers. But I convinced Mom to get it for me anyway. XD) And yes, this is one of THE best things you can get!
Hmmm I haven't been keeping up with it lately... I should get back on track!
- toodles off to do school -

There are a lot of helpful threads in Village Lore as well. Here are some of them.

Descriptive Writing

Perspective

Varying Sentences and Sentence Structure

English as used in the older centuries

Writing Loud Sounds

First Chapters/Lines

Glad to hear it!

Plus, so many writing books contradict each other.

"Enter the Narnia world countless times. There are seven books in all."

Plus, so many writing books contradict each other.

For a long time I was reading every book about writing I could get my hands on; I can't really recommend that approach as such as some of them were probably a waste of time and I would have been better served just writing instead, but I do recommend reading a variety of such books. A few in particular: Damon Knight's Writing Short Fiction, Fowler's Modern English Usage (which is a reference book rather than something you'd just sit down and read cover-to-cover, but is often tremendously funny as well as being insightful and apt), and Writing to Sell by Scott Meredith (though I've only read a long-out-of-date edition).
For the technical issues I noticed you had most consistent trouble with in your Writing Circle entry last month, I suggest you try copying Scripture; the translators of the RSV, NIV, etc., are generally very careful about sentence structure, proper punctuation of dialogue, etc. (I'm doing this myself for devotional purposes, but it certainly isn't hurting my eye for grammar.)

I would have interpreted that as a comment on their value as rereading material ...

*nods * I prefer writing books that come from the "this is not a one size fits all, there are many different ways to write, let me tell you what I have found helpful and what can work". Because writing isn't really a formula.

Wow, that's a good idea I never thought of before...I would probably do it in the ESV.

So do you have your Bible in front of you while you type, or do you write it by hand (writing is so hard for me that this would be good practice, but might distract me from the grammar and devotional aspects of it, so I would want to do it at least half on the computer)?

Yes, not just any style of writing is for anyone. They have to find their voice, their own style, their own genre and so forth.