Customer Reviews

Keys to Great Writing

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I've always found grammar as boring as watching the snow in our driveway melt. It always went in one ear and out the other. Complex sentences, compound-complex sentences, participial phrases, subordinate... ah, never mind. Who cares? Those are all just dry terms. They don't really mean anything, do they?

Well, yes, they do. They key is context, and Mr. Wilbers provides that in abundance. It isn't the rules he drills into us--it's the effect they have on your writing! What does punctuation do to the rhythm of your words? What does it do for meaning and clarity? How does each punctuation mark influence the way a reader reads your work?

He does the same for sentence types. How can you use your choice of sentence structure to emphasize your point? Which sort of phrase allows you to end a sentence with style and flourish? Which sentence type can create a feeling of expectancy or an engaging opening? In other words, how can you use the full range of techniques at your disposal to make your point clearly, succinctly, and persuasively?

Not sure how to write a persuasive essay? Don't know how to alter your essay for a sympathetic or unsympathetic audience? You'll find very practical instructions in here for nearly every aspect of the writing process, from planning to content to revision.

This book is aimed primarily at non-fiction writers; many of its tips apply to everything from persuasive essays to business writing. However, Wilbers does explain his tips in relation to narrative writing as well. No matter the type of writing you do, this book will improve your style.

Sharpen your pencil and get out your highlighter, this book is a keeper. Written in easy, non-condescending language, Keys To Great Writing is a great interactive study tool for both the novice and the accomplished writer.

Effective for all types of writing, Keys focuses on business writing as well as fictional (or literary) writing. However, with its concentration on structure (in easy to use terms), Keys proves to be as valuable for writing a memo to your boss as it is for writing the great American novel.

Relying heavily on Strunk and White's 'The Elements Of Style' and Williams' 'Style: Ten Lessons In Clarity', Wilbers captures a cozier approach to the structure and disciplines of writing well. He also manages to cover an amazing array of rules, styles, and techniques, quite well, in a brief 250 pages. The book also includes a Glossary of Grammatical Terms, a checklist for Keys To Great Writing, a checklist for Elements of Composition, a checklist for Proofreading, Recommended Resources, and an Index.

Some of the book, especially chapter five on Personality, works well for public speaking as well as writing techniques. So his points made in Keys To Great Writing could very well be called Keys To Great Communication. One of the things I found most helpful was Wilber's heavy use of example, showing both the correct and incorrect structures. Noun modifiers, actions verbs, hedges, POV's, setting, scene, subject, style, noun stacks, personality, adjectives, sentence types, ellipses, economy, punctuation, and more...its all here.

The book is divided into three parts, Keys To Great Writing, Elements Of Composition, and Drafting And Revising. Each part is divided into straightforward categories that flow easily from one lesson to the next. I wouldn't mind having Wilber's work on CD as a companion to the book. If you write for business (memos, letters, policy and procedure), or you write for pleasure (poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories or novels), Wilber's 'Keys To Great Writing' is an invaluable companion for your desktop. Enjoy!

In Keys To Great Writing, Stephen Wilbers covers every aspect of the craft of writing and shows the aspiring author how to develop a writer's "voice" that is unique, precise, and effective with their readership. Wilbers covers every aspect of writing from grammar to revision strategies, offering clear, effective information. Of special value to the novice writer are his: Four Mythos of Great Writing; The Elements of Style Checklist; The Elements of Composition Checklist; The Four-Step Writing Process; Glossary of Grammatical Terms; Proofreading Checklist; Four Common Errors in Word choice; Five Ways To Bring Music to Your Writing; and Fourteen Techniques to Eliminate Wordiness. Keys To Great Writing is a complete and highly recommended course in one volume and a valuable reference guide enabling writers to stand out with a distinctive style and literary presence all their own.

I read this book as part of a writing workshop. What immediately struck me was the clarity of his examples, and the clever way he used his own examples (good and bad) throughout his explanatory sections. So, pay attention when you read, and you'll see and feel exactly what he means. The book itself starts out with the "basics". But, rather than explain punctuation and what complex-compound sentences look like, the author puts everything in broader terms, explaining why great writers write they way they do. So, we learn about economy of words, the music of the language, how to raise interest with action, points of view, and the like. You will definitely learn mechanics and grammar, but in a way that will make it obvious why we have these rules. You'll also see why we sometimes break the rules. The second section goes further with organizing your work, and using supporting text to develop your scenes and characters. We see how to make everything believable. Finally, we spend some time looking at drafts, rewriting, and "the writing process." If you are a new writer, you will learn more here than you can grasp in one reading; if you are an experienced writer, the book will inspire you to hone your craft even further.

The other reviewers have done justice to the usefulness of this book. In the nature of my profession, I have had to read a good many books on effective writing, and this ranks among the best.

The strongest point about this book is that it breaks down general advice on what to do into practical steps on how to do it. In the very first chapter, for example, the exhortation to "Make every word count," is supported by fourteen techniques to eliminate wordiness.

Good job, Mr Wilbers!

How do I pay rightful tribute to Keys to Great Writing? It's not enough to say this book is worth far more than its cover price.
Author Stephen Wilbers earned his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa, and he knows an awful lot about words and how they work. Although this book is written as a guide to improving nonfiction writing, the principles conveyed can be applied to any type of writing, including fiction.
Wilbers's approach to punctuation--in the chapter titled Music--is a call to celebrate what colons and semicolons, dashes and periods, exclamation marks and commas can accomplish for a writer. "Listen to your voice. Punctuate your beat," Wilbers advises. Other chapters guide us through subjects such as Action, Personality, Purpose, Organization, Drafting, and Revising.
Keys to Great Writing is a work of erudition worthy of respect from academics, and yet it can be read and understood by people with a high school education. Wilbers doesn't use his position as a scholar to shut out intuition, either, reminding the reader to "allow your heart to suggest an unexplored path."
You've got to read it for yourself to get the full benefit. Highly recommended!

Stephen Wilbers' "Keys to Great Writing" is a wonderful book. I've read most of the classic books on writing and this is by far my favorite. Even when presenting well-known advice ("Omit needless words"), the examples are fresh and usually better than wherever I first read such advice ("Elements of Style" in that case). Wilbers has a very sly sense of humor that pops through in many sections.

The book is split into three sections. The first covers the "keys to great writing" (economy, precision, action, music, and personality). The second covers "Elements of Composition." The last section is by far the smallest but was perhaps the most useful to me. It is on the writing process itself.

I enjoyed the book so much that I tracked down the author via email and paid him to review two chapters of the next book I'm writing. I wanted to see how well I'd done at taking his advice from the book.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The author expands on all those short items you may have read in Strunk & White's Elements of Style, with detailed explanations and numerous examples. I especially enjoyed reading about the writing process which included developing good writing habits and time management. It's one of those books you need to bring down off the shelf and re-read every once in a while.

Stephen Wilbers' Keys to Great Writing helped me get organized and get published. As you would expect if you have been a fan of his syndicated column, the book is full of clear, excellent advice. But the book gives us a greater sense of Wilbers' passion for great writing. His warmth and enthusiasm propel the reader from page to page, so that reading it literally felt like sailing through the material. If you are looking for inspiration and immediately useful techniques for improving your writing, this book is for you. (And by the way, it is true that I got my first important magazine article accepted soon after reading - and rereading - this book!)

This book was the assigned book for my online writer's workshop. It has been very helpful in my quest to be a writer. It has great writing tips that you can easily apply. My only complaint about the book is that the type print was smaller than I prefer. I had to get use to it. Otherwise, great resource for future writers.