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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
**********UPDATED***************August 2010-Re-Review.
A neat piece of work, Peter Clark's little toolbox of writing tips. A concise, easy to read format, perfectly designed for dip and play.
Organised up and down the ladder of detail, whether you want a well turned sentence, perfectly joined paragraph or solid foundations for an essay, you'll find something suitable in this toolbox.
Peter mentions one myth of sentence writing, that has been propounded for some time, at least in journalist circles, the myth of the long sentence and that its bad.
Offering instead the view that a monotony of sentence size provides little entertainment for the eye or brain. Rather, a rhythm may be established with a variety of lengths that is likely to engage readers more deeply and provide a more satisfying read to all.
Many of his tips are like this. Balanced and clear eyed, he advises against using tools as rules only. Instead, like good tools, use them where they are best suited, to carve out solid work and to know when a tool really is not needed.
As you can see, I have a long way to go! :-). That includes the practice of editing my own reviews!
*****Original Review********
I may not be the best example student of this book, however whether you write fact, fiction or political stuff (wait..that's fiction right?), this deserves a place on your bookshelf. *And frequent fumbling through looking for just the right tool.
You get 50 of them, just like he says. Each one alone will make a big impact on your basic writing style and ability.
After reading it, I've become a fan of clear, concise writing. I'm guilty of using the phrase "clear, concise and precise" way too often as a result. Trite perhas, but true.
If you want to clear up your reports, bring life to your essays and make writing fun again, pick this up, read it a few times then use it along side each piece of authoring you do.
Don't take my review as an example however-I could be described as the world's laziest wannabe and I would like to get this review on Amazon's site rather than edit it 3 times (Which it needs!) :).
I try hard to get the best books for a job, hence I have written just a few negative reviews.
*Yes, you can start a sentence with And, But and Because. See Micheal Drout if you don't believe me!
A neat piece of work, Peter Clark's little toolbox of writing tips. A concise, easy to read format, perfectly designed for dip and play.
Organised up and down the ladder of detail, whether you want a well turned sentence, perfectly joined paragraph or solid foundations for an essay, you'll find something suitable in this toolbox.
Peter mentions one myth of sentence writing, that has been propounded for some time, at least in journalist circles, the myth of the long sentence and that its bad.
Offering instead the view that a monotony of sentence size provides little entertainment for the eye or brain. Rather, a rhythm may be established with a variety of lengths that is likely to engage readers more deeply and provide a more satisfying read to all.
Many of his tips are like this. Balanced and clear eyed, he advises against using tools as rules only. Instead, like good tools, use them where they are best suited, to carve out solid work and to know when a tool really is not needed.
As you can see, I have a long way to go! :-). That includes the practice of editing my own reviews!
*****Original Review********
I may not be the best example student of this book, however whether you write fact, fiction or political stuff (wait..that's fiction right?), this deserves a place on your bookshelf. *And frequent fumbling through looking for just the right tool.
You get 50 of them, just like he says. Each one alone will make a big impact on your basic writing style and ability.
After reading it, I've become a fan of clear, concise writing. I'm guilty of using the phrase "clear, concise and precise" way too often as a result. Trite perhas, but true.
If you want to clear up your reports, bring life to your essays and make writing fun again, pick this up, read it a few times then use it along side each piece of authoring you do.
Don't take my review as an example however-I could be described as the world's laziest wannabe and I would like to get this review on Amazon's site rather than edit it 3 times (Which it needs!) :).
I try hard to get the best books for a job, hence I have written just a few negative reviews.
*Yes, you can start a sentence with And, But and Because. See Micheal Drout if you don't believe me!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Roy Peter Clark lays out 50 of his writing tools and invites us to borrow them for our own writing toolboxes. Each writing tool is presented in a brief chapter that explains the strategy, offers examples, and ends with practice exercises. Clark reminds us that these are tools, not rules. We should work with a few of them at a time to improve our written work and our writing process. The 50 tools are grouped into four sections.
In "Nuts and Bolts," Clark covers writing basics. There are no tedious specifications for comma placement or hyphenation. Instead there are effective techniques for using language "at the word, sentence and paragraph levels." These ten tools include "Establish a pattern, then give it a twist," which shows how repetition can set the reader's expectations. And how occasionally breaking the pattern highlights information and maintains interest. Another chapter, "Cut big, then small" discusses the painful task of revising by removing. Snip and cry, but snip.
"Part Two: Special Effects" demonstrates techniques of "economy, clarity, originality, and persuasion." The thirteen tips in this section include "Set the pace with sentence length" which shows how to influence the psychological "speed" at which a reader moves through text. "Get the name of the dog" emphasizes collecting concrete details as we do research. They allow us to move down the ladder of abstraction and bring life to descriptive writing.
In Part Three: Blueprints," Clark advocates organizing our writing process as well as our documents. Two of the best tools among these sixteen show how to encourage--and manage --readers' progress. "To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers" and whet the reading appetite with not-yet-complete information. "Place gold coins along the path" reminds to provide points of enjoyment and closure to satisfy readers. And reduce the tension created by all of those cliffhangers.
"Part Four: Useful Habits" closes the book with eleven long-term strategies for working writers. "Limit self-criticism in early drafts--then turn it loose during revision" balances creativity and critique. It is consistent with the two-part writing process described at length in Peter Elbow's Writing With Power. "Recruit your own support group" goes beyond standard advice about seeking feedback. Clark encourages writers to understand their own writing blind spots and needs for others' expertise. Then target helpers with matching knowledge and skills.
It does not surprise when a book from an experienced writer is well-written and entertaining--as this one is. It should not surprise that the advice is useful and can improve our writing if we follow it. This is a very good book and is highly recommended. It deserves a place on your bookshelf next to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, William Zinsser's On Writing Well, Susan Bell's The Artful Edit, and Mark Kramer and Wendy Call's Telling True Stories.
Feed your shelf.
In "Nuts and Bolts," Clark covers writing basics. There are no tedious specifications for comma placement or hyphenation. Instead there are effective techniques for using language "at the word, sentence and paragraph levels." These ten tools include "Establish a pattern, then give it a twist," which shows how repetition can set the reader's expectations. And how occasionally breaking the pattern highlights information and maintains interest. Another chapter, "Cut big, then small" discusses the painful task of revising by removing. Snip and cry, but snip.
"Part Two: Special Effects" demonstrates techniques of "economy, clarity, originality, and persuasion." The thirteen tips in this section include "Set the pace with sentence length" which shows how to influence the psychological "speed" at which a reader moves through text. "Get the name of the dog" emphasizes collecting concrete details as we do research. They allow us to move down the ladder of abstraction and bring life to descriptive writing.
In Part Three: Blueprints," Clark advocates organizing our writing process as well as our documents. Two of the best tools among these sixteen show how to encourage--and manage --readers' progress. "To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers" and whet the reading appetite with not-yet-complete information. "Place gold coins along the path" reminds to provide points of enjoyment and closure to satisfy readers. And reduce the tension created by all of those cliffhangers.
"Part Four: Useful Habits" closes the book with eleven long-term strategies for working writers. "Limit self-criticism in early drafts--then turn it loose during revision" balances creativity and critique. It is consistent with the two-part writing process described at length in Peter Elbow's Writing With Power. "Recruit your own support group" goes beyond standard advice about seeking feedback. Clark encourages writers to understand their own writing blind spots and needs for others' expertise. Then target helpers with matching knowledge and skills.
It does not surprise when a book from an experienced writer is well-written and entertaining--as this one is. It should not surprise that the advice is useful and can improve our writing if we follow it. This is a very good book and is highly recommended. It deserves a place on your bookshelf next to Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, William Zinsser's On Writing Well, Susan Bell's The Artful Edit, and Mark Kramer and Wendy Call's Telling True Stories.
Feed your shelf.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I came to this book via Roy's audio programmes on iTunes U (which are also excellent, and free to download). I had never heard of him before, but was so impressed by the extracts that I bought the book - which is even better. Very accessible, yet not at all superficial, each tool is illustrated by hit-the-mark examples. A practical guide that will improve any writer's work, at any level or genre - I know it has improved mine. Highly recommended.
This review is by David Williams writerinthenorth
This review is by David Williams writerinthenorth
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Excellent advice
I read this book from cover to cover when I first got it - because it's so well written. I still refer to it often. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Minvera66
Buy this first!!!!
I have several books on creative writing and editing, and although all are good, this outshines the others. Buy this first. It is well written, clear and very informative. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Liv
Free the writer within
Writers are born, not made. Wrong! Wrong!!! You are imaginative and know basic grammar so get writing. How to allow yourself to be imaginative is a whole different subject. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2008 by John
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