Writing Ebooks

I didn't buy this book because writing arguments fascinates me. I picked it up because I needed it for my freshman composition class. For that, it serves a purpose, but I do not particularly like this book. br / br /I love to write. Absolutely love it, and I am always interested in books that can help me become a better writer. br / br /This book, however, is a confusing read. It has a monotonous design: chapters are not easily distinguishable from one another. Sample essays are, of course, always nice, but they are peppered throughout the book to an exhausting degree. The writing is technical and uninspiring. I found that I learned more about ethos, pathos and logos by listening to my instructor than by browsing through the overly-complicated text in this book. br / br /Some books are designed to look interesting and to excite you into reading them. This one is unfortunately not one of them.

This is an essential gift book for any student. Really, don't send someone to high school or college without it. You will be thanked for placing this most effective asset into a beginning writer's hands.

'm fully prepared for outrage from people in the social sciences, but... The title caught my eye for two reasons. First, I recently read a protracted rant by an anthropologist, and was interested in gaining a better understanding of his context. Second, I am a fan of Kipling's "Kim", and wanted a clearer understanding of an occult (to me) discipline practiced in colonial India of the Victorian era; ethnography. I was impressed by the depth of the writing and the broad utility of the concepts presented, and I achieved my primary goals of a better understanding of cultural anthropology and ethnography. br / br /The structure of the book follows the process of writing an ethnography.

This is an excellent book on the technical aspects of comedy. After reading this you will be able to analyse how the pros do it - and why some jokes are funny and some are not. Of course, it takes a lot more than this technical ability to become a good comedy writer, but this is not a bad place to start. There are numerous comedic examples sprinkled throughout the book, which range from the hilarious to the very lame - interestingly the worst jokes are the ones by the author Professor Mel Helitzer, which I guess reinforces the dictum that those who can't teach.

Great writers aren't known for writing books about writing--rather, their books on writing are useful because they've been great writers. That's the irony and the paradox. Writers good enough to write truly great books on writing are busy writing other things on which their talent isn't wasted. Life and imagination are more important to them than the act of composition (an act they not infrequently loathe), which is a mere tool for expressing their vision of the cosmos. That's why I never find books like this to be particularly great (another example is Zinsser's "On Writing Well"). The quotes in it from really great authors overshadow the rest.

br /I had been working on a personal essay for a couple of weeks. As I rewrote it, I used the chapter on personal essays in One Year to a Writing Life as a check list, and saw my essay becoming richer as a result. br / br /I submitted the essay to a publication whose submission information said they would take 4 - 6 weeks to get back to me. They accepted it within 12 minutes of receiving it! br / br /I will be recommending this to my writers' group members.

I won;t reiterate the comprehensive summary of Mr. Morris below, but I second his sentiments. Having read many books about writing, I found Paula's to be exceptional. A writing coach has written a coaching book with straightforward lessons that must be followed to write like a pro. Ernest Hemingway would be proud of Paula's concise writing style--one that she espouses with examples throughout this text. I own the Kindle version, and it is broken into easily-digested chapters. I read one a day until I finished the book, and I am a better writer for it. Personally, I chose this textbook solely because of the five star reviews on Amazon. I am a tough reviewer. This book deserves its five star rating.

Each chapter contains a tool ("Begin Sentences with subjects and verbs.") and then uses multiple examples to demonstrate how well-known authors have used it sucessfully. It explains why each tool is useful and how it can be abused and/or disregarded for specific purposes. At the end of each chapter there are excercises to practice the "lesson" using the newspaper, books you like, your writing, etc. br / br /Encompases fiction, non-fiction, journalism, and even poetry. Good for all types of writers. br / br /The style is not condescending, it's very easy to understand and apply to your writing that you have now. I have already made improvements on just the few paragraphs I've re-worked using Clark's tips. br / br /If you are looking for a book to help you improve your writing style and give insight to the techniques of many sucessful authors, then buy this book. Today.

When I ordered this work book I also ordered the hardback Writing With Ease book. In the book Mrs. Wise Bauer explains her "technique" of teaching kids writing skills. I didn't think much of it, but it really works. I can see how her steps can help kids become better writers. I got a little bored with the workbook (even though my son had not), and tried moving him to the Level 2 book. He was not ready. That's when I could really see why she has them progressing through the various processes the way she does. I plan on using this with my daughter next school year and hope it works for her too

Great writers aren't known for writing books about writing--rather, their books on writing are useful because they've been great writers. That's the irony and the paradox. Writers good enough to write truly great books on writing are busy writing other things on which their talent isn't wasted. Life and imagination are more important to them than the act of composition (an act they not infrequently loathe), which is a mere tool for expressing their vision of the cosmos. That's why I never find books like this to be particularly great (another example is Zinsser's "On Writing Well"). The quotes in it from really great authors overshadow the rest.