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- The Elements of Style
- Great guide for writers of all ages
- Good book.
- Read it, Then Read It Again
- Elements of Style review
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The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
William Strunk Jr. ,
E.B. White , and
Roger Angell
Manufacturer: Allyn & Bacon
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The Elements of Grammar
ASIN: 0205313426 |
Amazon.com
Composition teachers throughout the English-speaking world have been pushing this book on their students since it was first published in 1957. Co-author White later revised it, and it remains the most compact and lucid handbook we have for matters of basic principles of composition, grammar, word usage and misusage, and writing style.
Book Description
This is the braille version of the timeless reference book. According to the St. Louis Dispatch, this "excellent book, which should go off to college with every freshman, is recognized as the best book of its kind we have." It should be the ". . . daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all" (Greensboro Daily New). "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume" (The Boston Globe). Two volumes in braille.
Customer Reviews:
The Elements of Style.......2007-09-25
The book was in wonderful condition. It arrived in a timely manner. I would buy from you again.
Great guide for writers of all ages.......2007-09-25
My son's teacher recommended this book when he was in middle school. He still refers to it in college as he pursues his writing career. My daughter needed her own copy for school because her brother wouldn't give his up! You really can't go wrong with this book.
Good book........2007-09-07
It is good book, but you might find some styles are repeating with other books. It is good to learn from this author, but I also suggest learn more from other authors, too.
Read it, Then Read It Again.......2007-09-06
This itsy bitsy tome is an ageless classic. I read it for the first time 20 years ago. Despite having never found grammar interesting before, I became hooked on the sharp little lessons. I read it again, to both delight and edification. And I'll read it once more, to remind myself of the rules that make English what it is and to smile at Prof. Strunk, long gone but very much alive in these pugnacious 80 pages. He's somehow managed to boil down the bones of the language and give you the absolute essentials. If you haven't read it, you're in for a treat and a pleasant surprise, especially if you don't care for grammar. This is truly short and sweet.
Elements of Style review.......2007-09-05
This is an excellent book. All authors (or soon to be authors) should consider adding it to their core readings.
Rick.
Customer Reviews:
Good Tips .......2007-09-22
Orson Scott Card is a master story teller, so it's great to learn from him. It's one of the basic books for learning how to construct your characters. You'll need others though, like The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines (Paperback)
by Tami D. Cowden
It takes time to find the gold.......2007-08-30
Characters & Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card
Reading this book was like eating soup that had bursts of flavor in it. To find the flavor, you had to eat a lot of soup that was tasteless. After reading this book, I felt it was suited more for the novice who knows little to nothing about the structure of a book and developing the characters in that book. A novice in my opinion is someone who wants to be published and famous but wasn't willing to put in the time reading while they were young a to learn the literary skills taught in English literature in high school/college. It is my opinion that this book digresses and has too much fluff and could have been written in fifty to seventy-five pages instead of the one hundred and seventy-three that it is. Although the book offers valuable insight into the development of characterization, it did not need to run on as long as it did. When I read Creating Character Emotions by Ann Hood, it didn't take long to finish the book. Hood's book was packed with information and examples and did not digress like Card's book did. On the other hand, it took me five times as long to read Card's book because of the digressions. However, I do not think that Hood's book was written for the novice. Card's book takes the reader by the hand and leads him/her gently toward an understanding of developing characterization along with plot and other structural elements that are required to write a story that has a chance to see print. Hood's book, on the other hand, leaps in and roars ahead without taking the time to develop the necessary skills. I felt that Hood's book took for granted that the reader would know the things that Card teaches them in his book. I have four more books on characterization by four other authors and I plan to read them all. I know what my main weakness is in developing a narrative--characterization. After reading Hood and Card, I feel it is important to have a diverse perspective on the topic of developing characterization. One book may not be enough to understand what it takes to bring people to life on the flat page filled with black print.
Valuable, entertaining little book.......2007-05-14
Somehow, Orson Scott Card has a way of making anything an enjoyable read. This is true with his book on Characters and Viewpoint. He places his knowledge in the package of his well developed prose so that it is fun to read and easy to understand. But Card also likes to give his readers special treats and this book is no exception. Readers find the special treats in the stories Card shares of his many writers bootcamps and workshops including anecdotes from such well read authors as Gene Wolfe. This helps the reader understand that Card is not just drawing off his knowledge, but that of many other authors just as talented as he is. Most certainly worth multiple reads.
A writer's notebook.......2007-04-10
If you desire to write stories full of imagination, as well as fact, then I suggest you read this book. It is chock-full of explanations, viewpoints, instructions, as well as entertainment. As a budding writer, I am constantly seeking for the one book that will propel me to stardom. I find this one to be a definite step-up in that direction.
Characters and Viewpoint.......2007-03-10
Orson Scott Card makes informative and lasting insights into the creation of--and following the Point of View of--each character. This is not the STEP A to STEP Z version of writing instructions that make for a clear-cut pattern. Instead, it is a deeper instruction, breaking down the elements of writing that hide from so many want-to-be writers.
It is filled with cute little anecdotes and slap-you-in-the-face wake-up calls. ANY writer, no matter how experienced, would benefit from this book. Its an excellent referrence that forces the reader to THINK.
Customer Reviews:
Great Basic Guide.......2007-05-15
This book is terrific for people who are just starting to try to write. It breaks down every initial stumbling block of the craft into small pieces in ways that are easy for inexperienced writers to understand and model. For more experienced writers, it might be useful to see the mechanical process for things one already understands (even innately). However, this is not a stunningly useful book for writers with more than a little experience.
Extraordinary..........2007-05-14
I read "Beginnings, Middles, and Ends" right after reading the (in my opinion) horrid "How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card, which seemed to me to be puffed up drivel. Ms. Kress's book was like a breath of fresh air. Her suggestions are helpful, her examples are wonderful without being self-promoting. She has a number of self-guided exercises that were basic and also, as a plus for beginners, build up writing confidence. If you are a beginner, or even intermediate writer, I would suggest not bothering with most of the books on the market on writing and read Ms. Kress's book first. I am a published writer of dark fantasy writing my first novel and found it extremely helpful. Highly recommended.
Marvelous Short-Cut to Learning to Write Fiction.......2007-04-15
John Irving once commented that his experience at writing workshops & conferences taught him things about writing (e.g., voicing) that he would eventually have picked up anyway, but that he saved a lot of time by not having to learn it the hard way. That's the way I feel about Nancy Kress's wonderful Beginnings, Middles and Ends.
First of all -- and this matters -- Kress is a world-class writer of fiction herself. She's famous in the science fiction community, and she deserves to be. So when she, of all people, gives clues about creating good plots, one should listen. She's that marvelous (and rare) combination, a stunning writer who can also teach.
This book uses a very methodical approach, speaking of the different parts of a piece of fiction separately and specifically addressing how they interact. Each chapter really deserves to be read several times, as the attitudes she recommends for writers can solve problems all by themselves. At the end of each chapter is a set of exercises that significantly improve one's ability to interpolate the lessons.
Much of what she says in her book I was beginning to discover on my own, but to see it put into print solidifies and sharpens my view. Personally I was writing several different stories over the time during which I read the book, and I found that it helped instantly. I'm actually stuck on one or two stories right now, and I'm going to dive back into the Kress book to see how she can help me; I know she can.
I'd like to close by mentioning that this book was first recommended to me by a wonderful writer of romantic fan fiction who uses the pen name "st margarets." If you haven't read her stuff, you should; she appears on several online fan fiction archives.
A must for aspiring authors.......2007-04-10
I found this to be a very valuable book! Almost every page got some highlighting. The book is a short, easy read but packed with good information. Kress really breaks it down in terms of what makes a good beginning, how to keep the middle from sagging, and writing an ending that will satisfy readers. The advice is clear and easy to understand. The book also includes lots of info for short-story writers (who often get forgotten in other books). It didn't get 5 stars because there are other books that I feel cover this topic and then some (Plot and Structure, for example). However I have quite a collection of fiction-writing books, so if this was the only one I had, it would have gotten the 5the star. Elements of Fiction Writing is a great series. I recommend it to all aspiring writers, especially Characters by Orson Scott Card.
Excellent Advice!.......2007-02-13
This is a wonderful book to keep around if you're a writer, one of the best in the "Elements of Fiction Writing" series. It helps you plot your story out in a logical manner, in order to make it unified from beginning to end, and as strong and as interesting as it can be. You'll want to read it with a notebook on hand, to take notes for your novel, and you'll probably want to underline and highlight sections, maybe leave Post-It notes on the pages that offer the best advice.
Beginnings: Are you unsure how to start your novel, how to make it intriguing enough that people will keep reading? Do you think you can make your characters interesting and real? What about the style and tone of your writing, can you keep it consistent with the setting and plot? Do you need a prologue?
Middles: Do you have everything plotted out, but somewhere around the middle you lose interest? Are you not sure what should happen next? Are the characters trying to take the story in a different direction than you intended? Or are you just overwhelmed with the idea that you're actually writing a novel?
Ends: Can you make your ending satisfying? Will your climax be logical and realistic, or are you having trouble making it fit with the rest of the story? Can you give the characters closure, or are there too many loose ends? Do you need an epilogue? Are you having trouble with the very last paragraph or sentence of the story?
No matter which part of your novel is giving you trouble, this book will help you set it all straight. It offers excellent advice for beginnings, middles, and ends, as well as unifying your entire novel.
Book Description
Written by best-selling author Janet Burroway, Imaginative Writing â an introduction to creative writing â covers all four genres: creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and drama.
Imaginative Writing discusses elements of craft common to all creative writing before delving into the individual genres. Each of the first five chapters investigates a specific element of craft–Image, Voice, Character, Setting, and Story–from a perspective that crosses all genres. Chapter 6 explores development and revision and serves as a bridge between the craft chapters and genre chapters. The last four chapters examine individual genres: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. This unique organization allows students to experiment with creative techniques shared by all genres before deciding which form best suits their imagination. Unique "Try-This" exercises help students develop writing skills, while new âWorking Toward a Draftâ exercises encourage students to think ahead about the direction and possibilities of their work.
Aspiring creative writers â of creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, or drama.
Customer Reviews:
The Second Edition .......2007-04-09
Unlike the reviews to date, my review focuses on the current edition (second).
In the preface, the author notes that she has "tried to refine and focus on several successful features of the book without fundamentally changing its purpose, which is to provide a workable and energizing multigenre text for basic creative writing courses."
Aside from use in courses, let me add that the book can serve as an excellent self-teaching text as well.
Among the new examples in the book are: contemporary short stories such as Jhumpa Lahiri's "Interpreter of Maladies," William Trevor's "Sitting with the Dead," Ron Carlson's "Big foot Stole My Wife"; contemporary poems by Billy Collins, Annie Tibble, and Henry Reed: contemporary creative nonfiction by Gayle Pemberton, Bill Capossere, and William Kittredge; contemporary drama by Carol Real, Jim Quinn, and Josh ben Friedman.
Burroway has wisely retained many of the exemplary selections from the first edition such as Charles Baxter's "Snow," Donald Barthelme's "The School, and Robert Olen Butler's "Missing."
New to the second edition, in the basic techniques section at the end of each chapter, are series of development ideas, designed to facilitate readers "toward a finished piece."
This is an excellent book on the basics of the literary craft.
Marginal.......2005-04-11
I used this book in a class. I didn't find it very helpful, since many of the chapters are rather abstract. It rambles around without getting to the point in many instances. The examples of essays, short stories and poems were very uninteresting and uninspiring. I guess if you like negative, sensationalized American stories, you won't mind. However, I prefer deep interaction among characters with a little story and adventure. It's also pleasant to have stories written with eloquent, beautiful use of language. You won't see that here.
Just OK.......2004-09-26
Burroway's book is just OK. That's about the gist of it. Her methodology is ok, devoting a chapter to the essential ingredients of creative writing, i.e., style, image, tone, voice, point of view, etc., but she sticks writing samples together, regardless of genre, so you'll get a short story and an essay along with some poems to illustrate a particular mode. This can be confusing to beginning writers since you pretty much have to overlook the form of the writing in analyzing the particular point she is attempting to stress. It's nice to try to integrate playwriting samples and exercises into a creative writing book but since performance is such an essential part of theatre, without some background in theatre going, the beginning writer may be putting "de horse before Decartes." (Sorry, John Simon, for stealing your line--but I acknowledge your cleverness). The writing exercises at the end of each chapter are typically adequate and she does offer some "body work" exercises borrowed from acting warm-ups, but in the end, it all doesn't quite mesh. I recommend "Mooring Against the Tide" for its methodology, informed examples--both from "professionals" and students--and its treatment of creative writing both as a craft and an ineffable art. At the very least, if you do find this book helpful, you should have an intuitive sense WHY people feel compelled to do creative writing. Otherwise, this book might just contribute to the M.F.A. style of creative writing so prevalent these days that come out of writing programs by the highly verbal, affluent kids who want to show off how clever they are, and rush off to medical school a couple of years after they aren't "making it."
An excellent book for the writing classroom.......2004-07-26
I couldn't disagree more with the one-star review below. I find this such a useful and helpful multi-genre book that I have adopted it for use in my creative writing class here at the University of Alabama. Just an excellent book!
Fresh?.......2003-08-23
Not to start a war here, but Janet Burroway's book *is* fresh, and it's the best, most comprehensive multigenre text on the market. And it's affordable both for university students and writers who want to use it on their own. No, it's not full of inspirational gobbledygook and gimmicky suggestions to touch the heart of the writer. Instead, it's a very smart book that asks the writer to join in the long histories of the genres it discusses and offers the most succinctly articulated descriptions of techniques and approaches that will not only get a writer started writing but that will also help that writer understand what makes good writing good. The most innovative aspect of Burroway's book is that it takes creative writing as a whole and discusses those basic elements that make all writing good, from the need for concrete imagery that says something to the need for narrative to move and develop across a work. And it offers dozens and dozens of recent examples to illustrate its points. As an anthology alone, this book would be a good read. But Burroway's comments very aptly help a reader to understand what is working well in each of her excerpts. No, it doesn't offer up elaborate metaphors about bones or light or any inner writing child as a way to nurture the soul of the writer. But from my experience as a writing instructor, it's not the soul of the beginning writer that needs nurturing. This book understands quite well the need to nurture the mind of the writer first.
Customer Reviews:
Good but old.......2006-06-25
The elements of business writing give good point to look at.But the book is old and sometime give weird information.It's not an important book to have but, but still have some info.
Very helpful, easy to read........2006-02-01
This book was easy to read and very helpful in communication skills.
One the best guides for business writers.......2005-03-16
This book, with an obvious nod to Strunk and White (which it surpasses), lists 67 principles of good writing, with about two pages each of details and examples. It's on the short list of recommended resources in my book The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course in Business Writing and Communication.
A valuable writing guide.......2004-02-21
Remarkably concise and informative, The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly is more than just a tool for business people. Taking a common sensical approach, as opposed to a lofty educated tone, Messrs. Blake and Bly do not restrict themselves to business writing, in spite of the title. For the most part, The Elements of Business Writing is a valuable writing guide for just about all forms of writing. The book is strong on: knowing your audience; clarity; precision; and persuasion. When you think about those four elements, you're thinking about effective communication in general. This is something everyone--not just business people--can use in their daily lives.
Very useful.......2001-04-26
If you write letters, emails, business proposals or marketing plans, this book will be useful to you. It is very easy to follow. The book offers a number of suggestions for writing clearly and with style, and explains each point in detail. I used this book for a graduate level class, but it would be useful to anyone!
Book Description
"Clear, concise, lively, well-organized and opinionated."—Popular Photography and Imaging
In this thorough revision of his best-selling guide, Rick Sammon covers all the steps in the digital photographic process. The book teaches basic technical picture taking and the art of photography, plus introductory and advanced digital techniques.
Orchestrating over 1,000 images into easy-to-read lessons, Sammon uses an approach of "learning to see and seeing to learn" with pairs of images, software screen shots, and the best photographs from his own shooting assignments.
New for this edition, all the image editing tips feature the popular Adobe Photoshop® Elements®; file format discussions now include working with Camera RAW files; and more than 170 new color images have been added. 1000 color photographs.
Customer Reviews:
As good as they say, but let's correct a misquote..........2007-09-30
New photographers will appreciate the fact that most of Parts I, II, III and VII in this 445-page book, a total of more than 250 pages, is about photography subjects other than digital photography per se. These subjects include sharpness, autofocus, the rule of thirds, using flash, and so on. Understandably, though, experienced film photographers who want to move on to digital photography, or those who already have books on general photography, may see it differently. So I am in sympathy with reviewer "A Photographer, Planet Earth" when he complains "first they want to teach you a little basic photography..." then it's on to "Photoshop tricks".
Readers who want to focus on the "digital" in digital photograpy might want to look at "Complete Digital Photography" by Ben Long and "Digital Photography, Expert Techniques," by Ken Milburn.
Sammon's digital photography book deserves its good reviews, because his obvious enthusiasm for the medium transcends the book's faults, or perhaps what some would call its overly broad approach. There is only one error that Sammon's enthusiasm does not transcend. He misquotes one of the world's greatest photographers, the late Henri Cartier-Bresson, about his philosophy of image-making. Each of Sammon's chapters begins with an italicized quotation. So when you see, at the top of Lesson 15 on page 87, this comment attributed to Cartier-Bresson -- "To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event" -- you may think that is what Cartier-Bresson really said.
But that is not what he said. In the preface to his book "The Decisive Moment," Henri Cartier-Bresson wrote, "To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms that give that event its proper expression."
To get the first half of this quote right, and omit the second half entirely, is to miss the whole point, and in doing so to seriously misinform young people about Cartier-Bresson's actual philosophy. It is a philosophy that the photographer lived for many years as he wandered Europe on foot. The Frenchman's well known work actually does reveal a talent for organizing circles, ovals, arches, and other shapes so as to enhance the meaning of the photograph! What he did in recognizing the meaning of an event and *at the same time* organizing shapes and forms within the frame so as to express that meaning is incredible. Study his photos with his stated philosophy in mind and you will only marvel more. He didn't just teach it; he lived it.
Sammon is an admirer of Cartier-Bresson. That being the case, I hope that in the future he will be more careful how he quotes him.
I'll close with a compliment. Sammon has an enviable rapport with his subjects -- and these include people from all over the world. I admire this quality of Sammon and his book, and I think you will too.
Easy to Read & Understand.......2007-07-19
I've only recently begun shooting pictures digitally. I took a short class on Crime Scene Photography that scratched the surface, but I wanted to learn more. Rick Sammon writes in a very conversational way that makes his book fun to read and easy to understand. This book is great for the beginner and the advanced alike. There are countless tips on general photography as well as editing your photos in PhotoShop. This book is certainly worth the time to read and re-read. I keep it around now as a reference.
An enjoyable but not completely satisfying read........2007-06-12
I'm giving this book four stars based almost solely on Rick Sammon's enthusiasm. He is obviously a person who enjoys what he does and likes interacting with others. His writing was lively enough so I read the book in one afternoon. The bottom line problem with this guide is the same bottom line problem I'm finding in all digital photography guides I've encountered. The first thing they want to do is teach you a little basic photography knowledge and the next thing they do is tell you how to use Photoshop tricks to create "artful photos" that, in effect, minimizes the need for knowledge of basic photography. Photography is more than tricks and "secrets of the pros" and Photoshop is a fine tool for photographers to augment their work. Unfortunately, most digital photography teaching vehicles today emphasize the ghastly and tasteless manipulations in Photoshop and fail to emphasize learning basic camera technique. To Rick Sammon's credit, he does provide a measure of how to use tools available for in-camera control as opposed to relying solely on Photoshop corrections and manipulations in post production. But when the chapters on the various Photoshop tools and manipulations come into play, it's still a lot of ghastly and tasteless trickery that takes center stage.
The higher quality, professional and advanced amateur digital cameras that are available today are so sophisticated, it's difficult to really screw up your pictures if you have a basic grasp of photography and how to use the camera's features. Despite this, a lot of people are screwing up their pictures in post production by relying on photo editing software. Sammon's examples in the Photoshop Elements portions of this book point this out very clearly. The "before Photoshop" photos are often preferable to the "after Photoshop" photos. I'm not speaking of basic operations such as minor color corrections, cropping, sharpening, etc. I'm speaking of the use of filters and borders and the cut-and-paste collages that Sammon often refers to as "artistic" which are, in fact, perfect examples of over-processed pseudo-art.
I'm not really picking on Rick Sammon here. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I've enjoyed Sammon's writing and photography in other publications as well. It's just that we really don't need more people playing around with their computers to create the photographic equivalent of black velvet paintings.
A must read Digital Photography book for everyone.......2007-06-08
I bought this book about 3 months ago . This book as well as its earlier edition changes my concept about digital photography. One thing that I am missing in the 2nd edition is the absence of Adobe photoshop CS2 treatment. I think that would be more attractive option. The approach of Rick Sammon is wonderful. He covers picture for almost all the remote corners of the world, specifically Asian and South American countries. I strongly suggest this book for everyone involved in digital photography.
Enjoyable / Informative Book.......2007-06-08
I attended a seminar by Rick Sammon just a few weeks ago and had to get his book. I'm new in digital photography and his approach is straight forward and entertaining while being very informative. Highly recommended.
Book Description
So you fancy yourself a filmmaker? Here to ensure that you truly are is a simple, to-the-point guide that leads you through the process of creating your very first digital video project with Adobe's brand-new consumer-level video editing software, Premiere Elements ($99). In these pages veteran author and PC Magazine contributing editor
Jan Ozer gets right to the point: Rather than explore every option and feature of Premiere Elements, Jan uses project-based instruction and big, colorful screen shots to demonstrates the quickest, easiest, and smartest route to cinematic success. Each short lesson builds on the last as you learn how to capture and import video; add transitions, titles and effects; take advantage of the program's stunning templates; use the program with Photoshop Elements to edit and incorporate still images; and output your finished video to DVD. The book's small size and even smaller price ($12.99) make it the perfect entry point into the world of digital filmmaking as well as the ideal jumping-off point for further exploration.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing, Only Covers the Very Basics.......2007-08-27
This book has several issues. The first is that it is not written for any specific version of Adobe Premiere Elements. You will note a clear avoidance of tying this book to any software release. Therefore the book deviates from reality with Adobe 3.0 in several areas. This alone would be a reason to avoid this book.
My second issue is that this book only covers the most basic of steps, which are repeated in tutorials that you get when you purchase Adobe 3.0. Therefore, I can so no reason to purchase this obsolete book.
Visual QuickProject Guide .......2007-08-14
Disappointed to find this was for the earlier version of Premiere Elements and it did not contain the new important features. The classroom training book by Adobe is far better.
Good add-on book.......2006-03-04
This book provides color visuals and is a good add-on to "Adobe Premiere Elements for Dummies". I will not recommend it an independent guide to Premier elements as it is a little sparse on details.
Information without confusion.......2006-02-25
Wanting to transfer my camcoder footage and Video tape footage of my family holidays to DVD I came across the Making a Movie in Premiere Elements a Visual QuickProject Guide book,the reviews looked very good,so I took a chance and bought it.I have not been dissapointed,in fact I was well impressed.Its explained to you simply and in pictures that make you understand what its all about.It gave me,a 49 year old newcomer to camcorder/video editing,the confidence to go ahead and use Premier Elements (also works for Premier Elements 2.)I have found this to be money wery well spent.I sincerely recommend this.
Gift.......2006-01-16
I got this as a gift for a friend, but I have always had great luck with the Visual Quickstart books and would recommend them to anyone who needs to learn an application.
Customer Reviews:
Concise, Excellent Bang for Buck.......2007-09-19
A solid, common-sense guide to technical writing that is applicable to writing in general. The tips and pointers presented in this manual will improve all your writing, not just technical. This book makes the excellent point that good technical writing is ultimately just good writing...applied to technical subjects. Excellent buy.
Some value for the price.......2005-12-01
In order of size, but not importance, the four books Technical Writers need within easy rolling distance are:
1. Strunk and White's powerful Elements of Style
2. Michael Bremer's interesting and motivating Untechnical Writing - How to Write About Technical Subjects and Products So Anyone Can Understand (Untechnical Press Books for Writers Series)
3. Blake and Bly's Elements of Technical Writing (MacMillan)
4. Microsoft's Manual of Style for Technical Publications
I found a number of items are useful for SDK online Help documentation. Blake and Bly state a number of golden rules for Technical Writers, a few of which are useful:
#3) Numbers should appear in the same form they are familiar to readers
#4) Hyphenate numbers and unit of measure, such as 32-bytes
#5) Use singular when 1: .8-bit
#9) Write out approximations: half a glass of water
#11) Spell out numbers beginning a sentence
Center equations (2+2=4) on the page
#25) Hyphenate words compounded to form an adjective modifier. State-of-the-art technology, for example; the phrase state-of-the-art modifies the meaning of word, technology, following the phrase.
Hyphenate two adjacent nouns if they express a single idea: air-craft.
#29) Avoid dangling participles: verbs ending with "ing," when attached to the wrong subject.
Wrong: Turning over our papers, the exam began.
Correct: Turning over our papers, we began the exam.
Omit internal punctuation in acronyms and abbreviations: R.S.V.P
Acronyms for measurements are in lower case: cm for centimeter.
Avoid symbols for words: " for inch.
"that evaluates to" is a common enough phrase in program code documentation, but it is passive (not past tense).
Use imperative voice: begin sentence with a verb.
This is the mini bible for Technical communications.......2001-01-28
As a technical writer I have found this book an excellent resource. Most examples are short and concise. The rules and examples are probably the most up-to-date in the Technical Communications industry.
Good, but not necessarily for long term use.......2001-01-27
This book is general in its coverage and doesn't attempt to teach writing. It does teach some mechanics and offer some adivce on how to structure reports and articles.
I found that I read this book once but now don't find it a useful reference. It does contain a number of style guidelines e.g., "representing numbers and math," but many examples are from chemistry and hard sciences; which I found less relevant to me. One chapter discusses what the authors call systems: computers and software.
Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style" provided, in a small space, rules that you might recall for a lifetime. This book is more like a grammar guidebook with a focus on technical material mixed in.
For more examples, you'll need a bigger book on technical writing; and if you want a style guide, you might do well to remember that the basic conventions of English apply to technical writing too. Bly is great writer; unfortunately this is not one of his best books.
An excellent guide.......2000-02-04
I found this book to be extremely useful. It was easy to read and clearly pointed out the major elements in technical writing. I recommend it to anyone who needs a boost in their writing, but not for someone looking for a thick reference guide. The only reason it gets 4 instead of 5 stars is it didn't have as many examples as I would have liked or any practice problems. Overall, it helped me organize my papers properly, avoid common writing flaws, and get my main points across.
Customer Reviews:
Solid and useful.......2007-09-27
I have used this book to teach plotting to creative writing students, so my review is based on how well absolute novice writers respond to the ideas he puts forth in this book. On the whole, they respond positively. Once they grasp the standard three-act structure of a plot, they find his scene-sequel formula to be IMMENSELY helpful figuring out how to work out options for rising action. A few students complain that they don't like being taught a *formula*, and it seems a few reviewers have that gripe as well.
I'll say here what I say in class. First, if a formula happens to have been successful (as you can see if you break down almost any movie or popular novel), eh, maybe just this once it might be worth your time to learn it. Just file it away somewhere or something. Second, just because Bickham advocates a linear tic-tock scene-sequel way of composing your plot, that does not mean, nor does Bickham anywhere say, that you have to TELL the story in simple lockstep straightforward chronology. Once you have the basic idea of what's going to happen and why, you can start the story whenever you darn well please. You can start just at the climax, if you want, and tell the story through disconnected flashbacks, so that readers have to piece together the shards into the picture of the story arc. You can tell the story as an epistolary novel. You can tell it by varied protagonists. The only limit is imagination of the author. If you hate this book because you can't figure out new and creative ways to apply his basic formula, that doesn't necessarily equate with the *book* being worthless.
My students are grateful because (and remember they're all fledgling writers) this book's ideas give them handles to grasp when they sit down to write. I don't advocate the whole 'scene goal clearly stated to the reader' thing Bickham states, but if you as the WRITER have no idea what the scene goal is, or how things are going to wind up worse for the protagonist, chances are pretty high there will be a high Flounder Quotient in your plotting. All in all, it's worth your time and money as long as you are willing to view it as a plotting aid device and not the Magic Potion of Writing. It's a skeleton upon which one can reliably hang decent stories: my students are invariably impressed at the end of the semester both at their own ingenuity in storytelling and how they managed to create a story that *moves* and unfolds logically.
You make it sound like it's a bad thing.......2007-09-27
I have this book as well as Dwight Swains Techniques of the Selling Writer, I am working through them both as I learn fiction writing, hopefully for a profit. Yes, I hope to make money off of writing; it seems there are a few reviews here making profit sound like an evil thing and this book, the spawn of that evil.
If I needed to write "important" books, or to help the world with my writing, I wouldn't want this book, I'd want an MFA. This is about fun, writing fun and reading fun, at least to me anyway. I want books I wright to be fun, fun to write and fun to read. I'll take "Pot Boiling" as some other reviews have stated this is, I'm quite content to leave windmill tilting to more suitably equipped, perhaps better educated individuals. I want to learn to spin yarns, sturdy yarns that sell, this book seems a good place for me to start. For me, someone looking to tell a better story, Bickham and Swain are helping out a lot.
In the eye of the beholder........2007-08-18
I think it is the best book I have (out of the dozen or so books on writing). It depends on where you are as a writer and what your strengths and weaknesses are. My writing seems most creative when not following structure, a few scenes here and there, until a strong enough idea develops. At this point I need to start thinking about structure before I continue. I work out the general ideas for the Beginning, middle, and end until I have a one page synopsis. In the next step I work on the characters as much as possible, this is where my primary ideas for plotting the story comes in - through the characters. I expand on the synopsis until I have a more detailed roadmap with room for creativity. This is where I begin to think about scenes, and Jack M. Bickham gives you the best questions to ask about your scene and what to employ into it. This book has improved the way my mind structures the scene internally and thus my scenes are much clearer and focused. It is not a matter of following his steps implicitly, but using his ideas when writing your scene. This book has more gold nuggets than any other book I have read for scene structure. Just take a look at the dedication page to Dwight V. Swain, another great book. I only wish I had Dwight's book when I started writing in the 1980's and I wish I knew about Jack M. Bickham when his book came out in the 1990's. These books have been written at a deeper level and requires rereading and thoughtfulness. I am not saying they are not without its imperfections. Anyway, just my opinion.
Useful in Both Cases.......2007-08-16
Scene & Structure is a useful read, even if you hate it. Disagreeing with Bickham's thriller writing style, with his disaster-in-every-scene, and his overall, nearly set in stone approach to telling a story will give you plenty of wonderful examples of exactly what NOT to do in your fiction if you dislike this work.
If, on the other hand, you are looking for direction in your writing and lack any sort of structure whatsoever, reading this will also help. You will make sense of the typical flow of a story, most notably the parrying and jousting between scenes and sequels and get general (very, very general) plotting tips. Bickham's advice will give you a basic starting point to develop your work and eventually break his rules. And for the sake of trees, your time, and the time of your readers, please do break them.
A Writing Essential.......2007-07-01
I would recommend this book to anyone looking to structure their novel, short story, work of fiction, etc.
In all great work of fiction there is a pattern: every thing in it has a reason for being. Scene and Structure shows you how to recognize that pattern and shows you how to create that pattern in your writing. This is so important in writing great fiction, especially literary fiction.
How should you pace your story? How should you introduce and develop the conflict? It's just amazing, when you learn the info in this book and use them, after a while it becomes so easy noticing what a scene needs more of, how to improve it, etc, that writing with a pattern becomes almost instinctive.
Thanks Jack M. Bickam! (I got your other books--this one's the best)
Average customer rating:
- I recommed it to my students
- Accurate but dry.
- Not bad, but nothing new
- Along Came A Legal Writer
|
The Elements of Legal Writing: A Guide to the Principles of Writing Clear, Concise, and Persuasive Legal Documents
Martha Faulk , and
Irving M. Mehler
Manufacturer: Longman
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Binding: Paperback
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Customer Reviews:
I recommed it to my students.......2005-02-17
I am a law professor and this is the one book about legal writing I recommend to my students. However, please note that this book is not a textbook. There are better textbooks to teach [and learn] analytical thinking, persuasive writing and legal research. What this book provides is a great quick reference guide to some of the most common problems in writing in general and legal writing in particular. The book is well organized and concise. The material is organized around short rules and for every rule there are good examples of poor writing and suggestions on how to improve it.
Accurate but dry........2001-11-21
Go ahead and use this book as a reference. Skim it once in a while to refresh your memory about correct legal style. But don't sit down and read it straight through, as I did. I found it slow going and dry.
Not bad, but nothing new.......2001-06-03
This book is one of many on legal writing. The information usually stays the same even though the titles change. It would be a good start for an attorney with little background in writing. But if you've read other books on legal writing, pass this one by.
Along Came A Legal Writer.......2001-04-23
THE ELEMENTS OF LEGAL WRITING nowadays are clear, simple everyday language avoiding lawyerisms and following standard grammar and word order. Computer and word processing graphic design and typeface breakthroughs make how documents look important: text in attractively manageable chunks, such as paragraphs each generally running no longer than about 1/4-1/2 of the page, and with descriptive headings, footnotes and transitions prioritizing orderly presentation of ideas and respecting the visually balancing role of white space. Authors Martha Faulk and Irving M Mehler review effective format, grammar, organization, tone, and word order choices. Their book would interest readers of Clarice R Cox and Jerrold G Brown's REPORT WRITING FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONALS, THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CRIMINOLOGY ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB, Barbara Frazee and Joseph N Davis' PAINLESS POLICE REPORT WRITING, and Don MacLeod's THE INTERNET GUIDE FOR THE LEGAL RESEARCHER
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