Sunday, April 14, 2013
Roy Peter Clark's Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer
Here was the second book of my six library selections which I began to read.
And found so much useful info, my notes becoming more of a complete handwritten version of the book, that I promptly bought an e-book copy on Amazon, without having read past page eighteen.
Also, because I could see my library due date looming, I will finish reading my purchased copy later, trying to read all my other borrowed books before returning them.
Clark has the usual "suspects" repeated for us authors: use strong nouns and active verbs to negate the need for adverbs and adjectives. But he also presents some unique viewpoints, such as Chapter 7: "Fear not the long sentence." And some not-so-often-touted tips such as in Chapter 12: "Give key words their space." This is akin to Margie Lawson's tip to end certain sentences on a strong emotive word. Same thing for paragraphs.
Further, Clark mentions contrast as a valuable trick, which I need to remember and utilize more often. Also, in Chapter 31 (per its title), he advises to build your work around a key question. Rosenblatt (the featured author in the previous post) mentions this too and how it has nothing to do with your plot.
Interesting.
Another great book for us authors to read. Enjoy!
Denise Barker, author + blogger + copy editor
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