How to write anything A complete guide

Review by Choice Review

This interesting and useful guide covers just about everything related to writing, including how to write a Twitter post, or a note to leave on someone's windshield, or one's own obituary--in addition to the more traditional categories of academic and workplace writing and personal correspondence. Brown, a writing consultant and former instructor, provides samples of good writing for each type covered, as well as examples of bad writing, with accompanying explanations, and lists of dos and don'ts to provide more general guidance for each entry. The book's only shortcoming is the inclusion of a gimmicky "writing spinner" that illustrates the steps of writing for each entry in the book; Brown easily could have made her point about these steps, which exist on a nonlinear continuum, without including a distracting spinner graphic with each entry. Overall, however, this is an engaging and thought-provoking guide that would be a good addition to any general academic or public library. Placing it in the open stacks where users can flip through the pages will be preferable to keeping it in a ready reference collection. --Hillary Corbett, Northeastern University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

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Review by Booklist Review

E-mails are old-school; texts are becoming a wasteland of acronyms and abbreviations. If you've ever feared that written communication skills are dying quickly, don't worry this book is here to help! Comprehensive and accessible, the work guides users through just about any situation where the written word is necessary: social media for businesses, a plea to a professor for an extension, sympathy notes, wedding toasts, letters to the editor, and more. The first two sections cover the writing process and discuss writing in the age of technology; in the third section, Brown fills the pages with Do and Don't checklists and a plethora of samples. Every library should consider having a copy of this informative and instructional book both in reference and in the circulating collection.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2014 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Library Journal Review

Patrons who are unsure of the appropriate and comforting words for a note of condolence, the enthusiastic and confident tone of a cover letter, or the professional content of a press release will find significant help in this title, which covers writing from interpretative essays to job advertisements and athletes' resumes. Brown provides directions, outlines, and examples of effective writing and invaluable "dos" and "don'ts," accompanied by samples of letters "like this" and "not like this." Equally helpful are specific reasons for not using certain styles, tones, and words. Chapters one and two concentrate on the writing process-brainstorming, organizing, understanding your purpose, revising your words, etc. Subsequent chapters cover writing projects in one's personal life, at school, and at work. The kind and variety of the writing are impressive: a thank-you note, an obituary, a birth announcement, a complaint, an editorial, a personal blog, a research paper, a literature review, an internship letter, etc. Unlike Paula LaRocque's The Book on Writing, this title does not cover creative writing, nor does it include grammatical or word usage particulars. VERDICT A useful handbook for anyone who writes occasionally but especially for those who write often and with a variety of needs.-M.S. Lary, San Bernardino, CA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

An enthusiastic writing coach offers practical support. In this upbeat self-help book, Brown gives advice for putting words together effectively and efficiently. She covers hundreds of different tasks, from resignation letters to classified ads, obituaries to wedding vows, Twitter posts to press releases. Her "proven process" takes the form of a spinner whose arrow points to one of six words indicating stages in the writing process: purpose, reader, brainstorm, organize, draft, revise. Writing rarely proceeds in a linear fashion, she writes, and she encourages writers to start anywhere: "You can start by brainstorming. You can start by writing an outline. You can start by drafting.The real key to success is not going through these six steps in any particular order but simply in ensuring that you've touched all these bases at least once." For most of the writing tasks she considers, Brown shows both successful and unsuccessful samples. Weak pieces fail to consider the writer's goals, have little sense of a reader's needs, unintentionally convey a negative or hostile attitude, or use vague generalizations rather than concrete details. Although she doesn't cover grammar, Brown insists that every piece of writing needs to be proofreadeven emails. Up-to-the-minute sections cover personal blog entries, online reviews and Facebook status updates. The section on writing at school seems more appropriate to high school assignments than the analytical and critical essays required in college classes. More helpful is advice on how to write a high school work resume and an internship application letter, tasks that students often find daunting. The author brings considerable experience as a business-writing consultant to a section on writing at work, including Power Point presentations, minutes, job descriptions, cover letters and candidate rejection letters. Besides hints for language, content and organization, she reminds readers of the legal consequences of what they put in writing. Brown's concrete, common-sense approach makes this book a useful reference.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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