Writing Style

 
100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
by Gary Provost
Beside the obvious stuff—pens, paper, research materials and your trusty laptop, this is the one tool that any writer, professional or casual, should have. There is an obvious effort by Mr. Provost to cover the various learning styles by providing the readers with a lot more than just the normal preaching about good grammar and using your spell checker. Examples, hints and tips as well as interesting and really useful ideas are throughout this guide. Every writing problem and issue I’ve run into as a writer has been addressed in this short, easy to navigate guide. The onformation and tips are practical, useful and obviously given by someone in the know. One of the great things about this book, besides the clear-cut professional advice broken down for the average person, is the humor knitted into the advice. The only complaint about this book is that it hasn’t been updated! Hopefully, the author, Gary Provost will be updating it soon.
Becoming a Writer
by Dorothea Brande
Strangely enough, The concepts in this book were first presented in classrooms by the author almost 100 years ago! In the 1920’s, this author excitedly taught students.  Ms. Brande was a visionary regarding the workings of the human mind. She seemed to have an insight that other teachers and educational leaders somehow missed out on. She spent her time showing students how to tune into their inner artistic writer who is not onlY knowledgeable but also intuitive and forward thinking. Concepts such as using ‘artistic coma’ to harness the uniqueness in the world around you and being your own critic are common concepts throughout the book. Ms. Brande’s legacy to the writing world, this book, is surprisingly up to date in her never changing advice to writers.  She believed that writing is a magical process but the true magic in this book is Ms. Brande’s ability to teach the novice writer how to make writing magic. She eventually put her wonderful teachings into a written format in the form of this book, which means you are the lucky one!
The Classic Guide to Better Writing : Step-by-Step Techniques and Exercises to Write Simply, Clearly and Correctly
by Rudolf Flesch
Improving your writing style is something we can all stand a bit of even if we aren’t professional writers. This is the perfect tool for you to do just that—better your writing. Of course, the mandatory topics are covered like good grammar and spell checking but the author also encourages the reader to discover his personal voice. He doesn’t just preach this concept—he practices it. This book is enjoyable to read and the exercises are actually fun!  Using this book along with other resources like the MLA Guide will give you the edge and advantage over all others using just their tattered dog-eared MLA Guide. This book is well worth the investment if for no other reason than the time you will save with the author’s wonderful advice.
The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing : A Professional Guide to the Business, for Nonfiction Writers of All Experience Levels

Regardless of where you are in your freelance career still dreaming of the freedoms or well into a professional freelance career, you will find the information in this book indispensable. Everything is covered in this comprehensive guide from writing the initial plans to publishing day as well as all the business aspects like paying taxes and working with editors. With a variety of advice from over twenty authors, you will find every
working style, writing style and mindset addressed throughout the various essays and articles. One of the most important pieces of advice given in this book is that
you don’t have to learn the hard way. Pick up this book and skip all those hard lessons with just a few days with you nose tucked into this book!

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500
by Helen Cunningham, Brenda Greene

Writing professionally covers a huge amount of area. Typically we immediately picture freelancers as hovering over a laptop creating their next written masterpiece. Many of us forget that those of us working in a 40-hr a week job also write for a living’ emails, proposals, reports and memos. Appearances, at least in the realm of writing, do matter. Your style, professionalism and even creativeness will be judged within the first few
words on the page. Unfortunately, a glaring mistake can overshadow even the most creative masterpiece following that mistake. Avoid those pitfalls and mistakes by preparing yourself ahead of time. Get this guide and learn what you need to know.

The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and Other Business Documents (Elements of Series)
by Gary Blake, Robert W. Bly

If you have ever had to write for any reason, business, casual or professionally, you will appreciate the advice, tips and hints in this guide. This tool can help you write clear, concise memos, letters, articles & whatever you find yourself needing to write. Learn to direct your writing toward the specific audience you wish to address, learn to write clearly and powerfully. Learn how to exclude or
include jargon, pompous language, and executive babble whatever the occasion calls for. This is a guide that should be on every executive’s desk and at every executive secretary’s computer.

IlluStory Book Kit
Creations by You

An absolutely fabulous kit designed to create a book of your own for young children (age five to nine-ish), Creations for You has an award winning concept. If you have a creative child or are just looking for a really fun, classic and creative way to help your child love writing as much as you do, this book is the perfect activity for you. We used this book with our children to help them understand what mommy does for a living. We created a book with our children’s ideas and pictures that they can now share with their friends and have some sort of concept about what Mommy’s job is. I recommend this project highly for any family with writers or families who love books. It is a really great way to help them understand about jobs, books and sharing their ideas via writing.

Live Writing : Breathing Life into Your Words
by Ralph Fletcher

This guide is designed with pre-teens in mind. Giving children permission to be as excited about writing as we are is the primary purpose of this book. The author gives children the visual concept of a writer’s toolbox and helps them fill their toolboxes with the writing tools that will serve them throughout their school career and perhaps lead them right into a writer’s life. Teachers will find this book particularly helpful as it gives a clear look into the developing minds of pre-teens (something rarely accomplished by an adult). The author has obviously done his research well. Many pre-teens can produce pages and pages of average or even mediocre and boring work. This guide will walk them through re-vamping the average until it is a sparkling writing accomplished only through development, persistence and hard work. The various elements of writing such as voice, character and conflict
are addressed. The author doesnít write over the assumed level of the reader but also doesn’t let them off the hook because they are young writers. Excellent resource for kids, their parents, and their teachers!

On Becoming a Novelist
by John Gardner, Raymond Carver

New novelists make many mistakes; it is just part of the learning curve. The worst part of making those mistakes though, is looking like you are new to the game. Learn how to be a stand out novelist that no one will guess is new in the literary world. The experience and knowledge presented in this guide is invaluable to the new writer. According to novelist, John Gardner, some of the things first time novelists do wrong: the follow or imitate instead of breaking out of the mold with their own ideas, they forget to read everything they can get their hands on and are not as familiar with the industry as they should be, the believe they are invincible prima donas whose work canít or shouldnít be changed and they give up long before they should. If you are making any of these mistakes, pick up a copy of this handbook and learn the remedies to such mistakes.

100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
by Gary Provost

Gary Provost, a well-read writer, provides everyone with a direct, easy to use, instructive guide on all of the problems and issues facing writers. Regardless of what kind of writer you are a student, professional, business or casual, you will find a wealth of information in this easy to use guide that will help you resolve whatever issue you may face. Even the professional writer will find this book advanced enough to resolve issues facing professionals such as documentation and high-end grammatical problems. Used as a handbook, this manual can be an invaluable tool for any writer. Filled with information about all sorts of writing issues, this easy to use book can be as useful as your other writing tools ñ pens, paper and computer.

Reading, Writing, and Leaving Home : Life on the Page
by Lynn Freed

A native of South Africa, the author has a distinct cultural view that makes her writing about life much more interesting. One of her perspectives is that if the writer worries about the feelings of those she writes about, she cheapens the art. For this reason, much of what she writes about feels like she ripped the skin of the subject to expose their true insides. If you want to see someone’s true heart, read what this author has to say. Through a series of eleven essays, Lynn Freed flows in and out of fiction and reality, giving us a snapshot glimpse at the life of a writer. Not always an easy way to live, she doesn’t leave out the bad stuff nor does she glamorize the good ñ she just writes real. Instructing and entertaining, you will enjoy this read even if you arenít a writer by profession.

Snoopy's Guide to the Writing Life

Most of us have been in Snoopy’s shoes banging out the beginnings of ideas time after time only to be greeted with a rejection letter that we read and reread, as if it is going to change the fifth time we read it. Snoopy’s Guide has 25 essays from famous, respected writers who have obviously mastered their craft. They offer the reader their knowledge of the writing life, how to deal with rejection, even the fundamentals of how to write. Learn how they got their starts, how they deal with rejection, how the find new and fresh ideas just about any issue a new writer deals with is covered in one of these entertaining, informative essays by ultra famous writers, authors and entertainers. Regardless of your experience, there is something to be learned by everyone from this collection of stories. Even Snoopy himself gives us a rundown of a writers life!

The Travel Writer's Handbook 5th Ed: How to Write and Sell Your Own Travel Experiences
by Louise Purwin Zobel

Most writers fantasize about being able to travel and write about the experiences they encounter in a foreign land. Naturally, they gravitate toward one specific kind of vacationing for instance cruising, nature expositions or nightlife oriented vacations.Those who enjoy the nightlife might tend to vacation in spots such as New York City, Las Vegas and Miami whereas those who are ecologically
oriented might find themselves in various archeological points in Mexico, the Rocky Mountains or on a dive off the coast of Savannah. If you have a desire to pursue any particular kind of vacation and enjoy writing this may be the perfect way for you to fund a rather expensive hobby in travel writing. Learn all of the basics about writing such as good grammar techniques, research on the Internet, how to sell what you write and tax information. In addition, learn the techniques and strategies surrounding the specifics of writing travel experiences. Learn who will typically buy your work, learn various formats, how to avoid overworked travel areas, successful and interesting interviews and even how to do the research on your destination before you leave. Don’t get caught without this insightful, fresh guide on travel writing and all it entails.

Writing Smarts: A Girl's Guide to Writing Great Poetry, Stories, School Reports, and More!
by Kerry Madden

Designed for you ladies aged nine to twelve, but could probably benefit a much wider range of perhaps eight to fourteen, this book helps solidify ideas, create pathways for writing and give ways to manage and organize all those stories in young minds. Whether poems, stories or school reports, this book deals with all aspects of writing including idea management, grammar, and all those important concepts surrounding plot, characterization and dialog. If you have a young girl in your life, perhaps you are a favorite auntie – Writing Smarts is the perfect gift for any young girl.

Writing the Breakout Novel

Famous literary agent, Donald Maass has taken many soon to be famous writers by the hand and guided them through the process of writing a well-read, well-written literary work of art. If you want to rise out of the masses of writers who are published but have rather mediocre work, then follow the advice Donald Maass, literary agent has provided in his easy to follow guide book, Writing the Breakout Novel. All breakout novels, according to Donald Maass, have certain elements in common, regardless of the genre. Learning those elements and then learning certain techniques designed to incorporate those elements will lead you to a breakout novel. Don’t rely on luck to get you at the top of the world’s reading lists, create a novel that readers will demand. Donald Maass uses his own clients as demonstrations and examples of success. He does case studies on some of his most famous clients such as Anne Perry and James Patterson ñ giving us a firsthand knowledge of what it takes to make a novel a standout novel in an already saturated market. Any struggling writer needs to have this guide on hand to lead them to the road of success.

Writing the Natural Way
by Gabriele Lusser Rico

Have you always been able to tell a really good story but when it comes to putting it on paper, you fail miserably? If this sounds like you, you are not alone. Sometimes our inner critic is the one that stomps out those bright embers that spark the best stories and best of characters. By silencing that critic inside, you will be able to tap into the true flow of those wonderful, colorful stories that are so lively in your head. Writing the Natural Way can turn even the most timid writer into a prolific, fiery writer with the ability to write easily according to the natural rhythms of ones brain. Write meaningfully, easily and with conviction – The Natural Way.