The Anthologist, by one of my faves, Nicholson Baker, sounds interesting (and perhaps familiar): about a modern-day poet who's having problems writing. And I thought this Washington Post review by David Kirby contained a number of excellent writing tips within it:
With the concentration of a mohel, [protagonist] Chowder focuses on the mechanics of poetry and neglects what Emerson called "lustres," sparky images and aphorisms that pierce the seal set on the human spirit by time and care. "A snowflake will go through a pine board, if projected with force enough," Emerson wrote, and while meter may account for the force in much poetry, the snowflake is just as necessary.
