There can never be enough stories about characters building rapport, and learning to see outside themselves, and finding their people, and saving each other.

I first read Never Say You Can't Survive when it was published on tor.com as an ongoing series of essays, and I was delighted to re-read the entire collection gathered under one cover. I think this is my favorite writing craft book yet, not least because it's so unlike most others I've read.
In most cases, writing craft books, even when they are infused with personal anecdotes and character, are to some extent like textbooks. They are about providing the reader with instruments and methods. They are about achieving goals. Here's how you write a novel. Here's how you construct a character arc. Here's a story structure template and a guide on how to follow it.

And those books are great; I love taking glimpses into other writers' toolboxes, and I always end up borrowing at least one instrument from each, even though I don't always use those instruments in accordance with the original instructions. But this book resonates with me especially, beause—even though there's a great number of tips and tricks to try here—it's not at all a manual on achieving a goal.

Instead, it focuses on the process.

Charlie Jane Anders isn't here to provide us with a new set of rules, or a framework, or a collection of methods that should result in a novel. Instead, this is simply a book about the joy of storytelling. About making the most of every mistake we make along the way and finding exciting new ways to screw up. About using our stories to learn more about ourselves, and the world around us. About the fun one can have both following and breaking rules, and how every alleged bad writing habit (like having a lot of WIPs, for instance) can be turned around to benefit from it. About relying on our stories to see us through hard times, just like the cover says.

It's not a writing guide; it's a great collection of thoughts on being a writer, and it's incredibly inspiring.