andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

The Little Book of Confusables

The Little Book of Confusables: Simple spelling and usage tips to help smart people avoid stupid mistakes

by Sarah Townsend

This book disambiguates 600 commonly confused words. Examples include: aggravated, agitated; a lot, allot; assume, presume; coherent, cohesive; discreet, discrete; enervate, innervate, innovate; faze, phase; feasible, plausible; flaunt, flout; fortuitous, fortunate; historic, historical; hoard, horde; indolent, insolent; literal, littoral; loath, loathe; sleight, slight; tack, tact; tortuous, torturous; unkempt, unkept; vain, vane, vein; and wet, whet.

I was happy to learn that French quotation marks are called « guillemet ». I’ll be careful not to confuse that with guillemot, “a sea bird that nests on cliff edges.”

Continue reading “The Little Book of Confusables” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

On Writing Well

On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

by William Zinsser (1922-2015)

William Zinsser taught nonfiction writing at Yale and he was editor of Book-of-the-Month Club. In a nutshell, the message is that good writing is clear, simple, and unpretentious. My father gave me a copy of the third edition of this book when I graduated from high school in the 1980s. While recently rereading it I was amused by Zinsser’s description of a new invention called a word processor—almost like someone describing their car as a horseless carriage. But otherwise the book stands up to the test of time (and there’s a newer edition available).

Continue reading “On Writing Well” →
andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing, Writing

Copywriting Made Simple

Copywriting Made Simple: How to Write Powerful and Persuasive Copy that Sells

by Tom Albrighton

This is an excellent introduction to copywriting, offering general advice on the process as well as specific tips for print advertisements, audio and video scripts, sales letters, emails, brochures, and social media posts. The book is divided into three parts: plan your copy, write your copy, and improve your copy. Continue reading “Copywriting Made Simple” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

Federal Plain Language Guidelines

Federal Plain Language Guidelines

Although oriented towards helping U.S. government employees write clear regulations, the Federal Plain Language Guidelines offers great advice for any nonfiction writer. It includes a section on writing content for web sites.

Here are some highlights.

“Address one person, not a group. Remember that even though your document may affect a thousand or a million people, you are speaking to the one person who is reading it. When your writing reflects this… [it] has a greater impact.”

Continue reading “Federal Plain Language Guidelines” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

The Elements of Eloquence

the-elements-of-eloquence

The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase

by Mark Forsyth

The Elements of Eloquence is about “the figures of rhetoric, which are the techniques for making a single phrase striking and memorable… They are the formulas for producing great lines.” Mark Forsyth writes with a sense of humor and he quotes examples from The Beatles, John F. Kennedy, Shakespeare, and Yoda. Continue reading “The Elements of Eloquence” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

Everybody Writes

everybody-writes

Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content

by Ann Handley

Everybody Writes is a catchy title, although a more accurate one would be Writing Tips for Content Marketing.

Here’s the secret formula: “The multiplication signs are important, because if the value of any one of these things (Utility, Inspiration, or Empathy) is zero, then the sum of your content is a big fat zero, too… Utility x Inspiration x Empathy = Quality Content.” I think she means product—not sum—but I like the idea.

Continue reading “Everybody Writes” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

An Insider’s Guide to Publishing

an-insiders-guide-to-publishing-david-comfort

An Insider’s Guide to Publishing

by David Comfort

An Insider’s Guide to Publishing is a well-researched dose of reality for aspiring novelists looking to get their work published. Although not mentioned on the cover, the content is specifically for writers of fiction. It is organized into 58 short chapters grouped in 13 parts, making it convenient to read in small increments of spare time. David Comfort demonstrates a sense of humor in his own writing and his selection of quotes from others. Continue reading “An Insider’s Guide to Publishing” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success

the-insiders-guide-to-publishing-success

The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success

by Eric Kampmann and Margot Atwell

This book provides insights in to the steps, risks, and numerous decisions involved in publishing a book. There are chapters covering an overview of the publishing industry, the manuscript, production, sales and distribution, marketing and PR, rights, and finance. The final four chapters are short success stories.

“No book should be printed without the advice and assistance of a good editor.” The authors also emphasize the importance of cover copy. “Don’t let the design get in the way or presenting the sales points.” Continue reading “The Insider’s Guide to Book Publishing Success” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Writing

How to Write Short

how-to-write-short

How to Write Short: Word Craft for Fast Times

by Roy Peter Clark

“A time-starved culture bloated with information hungers for the lean, clean, simple, and direct… Think of how grateful you are as a listener when the graduation speaker, no matter how powerful, delivers the goods in ten minutes rather than twenty, or, even better, five minutes rather than ten.” Continue reading “How to Write Short” →