How about it, Writer? [Paperback]

Charles Romesburg (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1411628624 | ISBN-13: 978-1411628625 | Publication Date: April 6, 2005

This book contains lists of 1,616 great opening sentences from nonfiction pieces, 1,633 great titles, and hundreds of great transition sentences, ways of saying "for example," and ways of closing nonfiction pieces -- along with instructions and illustrations for using them as models for your writing. For instance, suppose you are writing a piece and you feel that your opening sentence is not as good as it could be, but you don't see how to create a better one. To escape the mental block, just go to the list of 1,616 opening sentences and look around for hints. In minutes the sentence you're wishing for will flash into your mind. You won't be plagiarizing; the sentence you create will be one of a kind. The author, a university professor, compiled the lists from reading more than 12,000 published essays.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The following is a review of "How about it, Writer?" appearing in the Midwest Book Review, Volume 5, Number 11, November 2005. Leslie Halpern, Reviewer:

It may seem odd, perhaps even uninspired, for writers to search for opening sentences from a book of listings. But Romesburg's book provides lots of inspiration when crafting openings, closings, titles, and transitions in your writing. This unusual guide lists thousands of suggestions for adapting previously published sentences into exactly what you need for essays, articles, sermons, op-eds, theme papers, reports, and dissertations. (The opening sentence of this review is an example of this adaptation technique, taken from his sample sentence "It may strike you as odd, perhaps even unjustified, to speak of light pollution and social well-being in the same breath.")

The book also offers 18 ways of opening an essay and a dozen miscellaneous tips on writing, such as "How To Decide Whether Or Not To Use A Comma After An Introductory Phrase In A Sentence," "Don't Be Afraid To Put Short Details In Parentheses," and "How To Cite An Anecdote Or Fact When You Can't Put Your Finger On Its Source."

The strength of this work, however, is clearly the author's painstaking research into the structure of a good sentence. His alphabetized listings are comprised of sentences borrowed from essays appearing in "The Atlantic Monthly," "Harper's Monthly Magazine," "The Literary Digest," and other respected publications from the 1800s and 1900s.

About the Author

Charles Romesburg is a freelance writer and a professor at Utah State University, where he has received its award for excellence in teaching. He is an active and prolific researcher with numerous articles and books to his credit. He donates all of the proceeds from sales of his books to no-kill animal shelters.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (April 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411628624
• ISBN-13: 978-1411628625
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,459,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)