Tools of the Writer's Craft (Paperback)

~ Sands Hall (Author) "During a trip to Oaxaca a few years ago, my family and I visited nearby Monte Alban, a pre-Columbian ruin scattered across the top of..." (more)
Key Phrases: Craft Sands Hall, Making Workshops Work, Jane Austen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Reading this book is like learning how a juggler juggles. Invaluable for... anyone giving or taking a writing workshop." -- Lynn Freed, author of The Curse of the Appropriate Man

"Sands Hall’s love of the written word has inspired hundreds of her students, including many grateful published authors." -- Steve Susoyev, author of People Farm

"Superbly practical, filled with terrific exercises, anecdotes and examples. Sands Hall is a beautiful writer and a brilliant teacher." -- Max Byrd, author of Grant

Reading this book is like learning how a juggler juggles. Invaluable for... anyone giving or taking a writing workshop. --Lynn Freed, author of The Curse of the Appropriate Man<br /><br />Superbly practical, filled with terrific exercises, anecdotes and examples. Sands Hall is a beautiful writer and a brilliant teacher. --Max Byrd, author of Grant<br /><br />Sands Hall’s love of the written word has inspired hundreds of her students, including many grateful published authors. --Steve Susoyev, author of People Farm

Sands HallÂ’s love of the written word has inspired hundreds of her students, including many grateful published authors. --Steve Susoyev, author of People Farm

Superbly practical, filled with terrific exercises, anecdotes and examples. Sands Hall is a beautiful writer and a brilliant teacher. --Max Byrd, author of Grant

Product Description

An insightful and entertaining exploration of the tools every writer needs.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 298 pages
• Publisher: Moving Finger Press; 2nd edition (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972722572
• ISBN-13: 978-0972722575
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #654,364 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Guide to "The Craft", January 31, 2006

By	J. A Magill (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Bookstores, on-line and off, are awash in "writers guides," a few excellent, many fair, and all too many simply dreadful. Ms. Hall's "Tools of the Writer's Craft," stands out as belonging in the first category worthy of close examination by writers both novice and experienced.

What makes the difference between the good and the bad in such guides? Obviously different people hold different opinions, but I eschew any guide that pitches itself as "how to write," or "follow my instructions and you'll be a writer." Such guides bring to mind the "become a great artist" books that one found advertised on television in the 70s or on the backs of magazines, as if there is only one sort of "good" art or "good" book. Useful texts instead examine the tools and techniques that make for good writing without pointing to any particular style, offering a breath of examples of the successful use of each. Elizabeth George's "Write Away," Stephen King's "On Writing," and Lamont's "Bird by Bird" all come to mind. These authors do not insist you write like they do, but instead offer examples of many styles from many authors. Ms. Hall's book certainly deserves a place beside these excellent works.

"Tools of Writer's Craft" goes from the mundane but all too challenging area of building character to such often sublime subjects as point of view. In each case, Ms. Hall offers fine examples all offered with a rye and often self deprecating wit. As far as seeking imitators, the author here straight forwardly presents her particular biases of style and then goes on to present many examples from works far afield of her own. Particular attention should be given to the long and carefully constructed list of exercises presented and offered as ways to experiment. While fledgling writers may guffaw at exercises, experienced ones understand their tremendous value. Writing groups would certainly find great value in using the ones presented in this work. If the only way to really learn how to write is to write, then these exercises present valuable opportunities to any one interested in the craft.

Having already begun to wear out my copy of this book, I can offer some assurance that it will not sit idle on any writer's bookshelf.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Necessary Tool, October 15, 2006

By	Claudia Errington "Claudia Writes" (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

I have taken four writing classes with Sands Hall and she is an excellent teacher. She loves teaching want-to-be writers the craft of writing, the nuts and bolts. Like a mechanic, tools are necessary to do the job right. This book is a necessary tool for any writer - we all have writing books on our shelves don't we? This one is a must. I refer to it time and time again to be reminded on the "how to's" of putting words together to create something worth reading. She has a wonderful checklist that can be used when working on your own scenes - it can be laminated and pasted to your work space - any time you finish a scene you can refer to this checklist and see if your scene covers everything - setting, objects, activity, to name a few - to be sure that scene is alive and says what you really want it to say. She teaches on point of view, characterization, metaphor, everything relating to the writer's craft you can possibly need and she uses examples from other works to help you understand clearly what she is getting at. If you are looking for a good book on how to write, this one is a must.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent source for writers, October 30, 2007

By	J. M. Boyd (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've taken a class here and there, read a little bit on the subject, but nothing has come close to the craft of writing like this book. The author gets right into the heart of what makes the written word fly off the page and into the readers imagination. The book is broken up into easily digestible chapters and she sites numerous examples to back up her opinions.

The book is definitely about craft and not the fundamentals of writing which, is good if your looking to get past the basics. The narrative is quite laid back and doesn't try to get overly high-brow with the topic.

After reading it, I have a greater appreciation for all that goes into crafting a story. And too, I can look at novels or short stories with a greater understanding and more critical eye, which helps to appreciate the reading even more.

Overall, I was very happy and feel I've been let in on some great secrets for contemporary writing.