On Books Podcast - Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies by Roy Peter Clark

What it does

Ten years ago, Roy Peter Clark, America's most influential writing teacher, whittled down almost thirty years of experience in journalism, writing, and teaching into a series of fifty short essays on different aspects of writing. In the past decade, Writing Tools has become a classic guidebook for novices and experts alike and remains one of the best loved books on writing available. Organize

1. Begin sentences with subjects and verbs : Make meaning early, then let weaker elements branch to the right. 2. Order words for emphasis : Place strong words at the beginning and end. Put your best stuff near the beginning and at the end; hide weaker stuff in the middle. 3. Activate your verbs : Strong verbs create action, save words, and reveal the players. 4. Be passive-aggressive : Use passive verbs very occasionally if only to showcase the “victim” of the action 5. Watch those adverbs : Use them to change the meaning of the verb, avoid using them when they are redundant. 6. Take it easy on the -ings: Read your recent work. Circle any word that ends with -ing. What have you…from castig.org

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