How to Write Like a Pro

by Barry Tarshis

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451624327
• ISBN13: 9780451624321
• Release Date: November 1985
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Style made me live in the house Strunk and White built

I couldn't be more pleased with a book than coming across this one. This book was the kind that I would pick up, read through, and walk with it reading. Although I'm the kind of person who hates reading books, I needed a book for increasing my writing skills. My writing skills were awful, but this book gave insight past the Strunk and White methods. The methodology in this book, however, was quite different and based on a psychological level of the reader and writer: The writer writes for the reader. To write for personal enjoyment is to write in a diary; to write for a reader means to be a sober writer with an audience. I would question the authors writing at times, but I couldn't find many errors with his writing--well, besides the sexist use of "he." Nonetheless, this book taught me more than my college English course did: I found ways to analyze my writing; I understood that writing is more about the writer's reader than the writer. To be a writer is to please a reader and make things easily understood. It taught me that if I'm going to be a writer, then I need to read writer's writings. This book includes many examples of writing an points of style flaws. This book doesn't place high emphasis grammar because the book is more focused on style. But few books come close to helping someone understand style. I can get plenty of grammar books, but style books are few. Heck. When I was going through writing books, I was looking for grammar books. I didn't plan on grabbing this book. But when I started reading it, I decided to read it all; the importance of style was shown to me. This book is dated but its a lost treasure. It's one of those ancient things you find but seems more advanced than today's current technology.

Needful book for nonfiction writers

Although this is not the most recent book on nonfiction writing it is one of the most useful. His writing chapter on "The Art of Readability" is laudable for explaining the finer points in getting and retaining your reading audience.

Better than Strunk & White.

The most useful book I've read on writing. Lifts the shroud of mystery from the "elements of style".