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Word Magic for Writers
 
 
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Word Magic for Writers [Paperback]

Cindy Rogers (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

1889715247 978-1889715247 September 1, 2004
Two manuscripts arrive on a busy editor's desk. They are twins in subject matter, theme, and the basic story they tell. Yet one manuscript is quickly rejected. The other makes it all the way through the editor's review process, to publication. . . .
What's the difference between the two manuscripts cited above? It is the one factor that keeps them from being identical twins. Think of it as WORD MAGIC. The first manuscript was well researched, clearly written, solidly structured. However, the writer of the second manuscript knew how to inject the kind of originality, flair, and expressive richness and sharpness into submitted work that made it grab and hold editorial interest all the way to publication.
That author had WORD MAGIC. Now you can have it, too or greatly increase the amount you already have from a single authoritative new source.
Here, finally, is a fascinating book that clearly shows you how to boost the success potential of your writing project, whether an article, speech, story, book, play, or advertising, by elevating and energizing charging up the language you use.
From this one source, you'll discover how to craft beginnings that hook the reader, middles that compel him or her to stay on the hook, dialogue and descriptions that sizzle and enchant, and endings that leave the reader eager to read more of your work.
WORD MAGIC will help you accomplish all this through dozens of proven language devices and secrets that successful authors use to lift their writing from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

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Word Magic for Writers + The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations + Word Painting: A Guide to Write More Descriptively
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  • The Describer's Dictionary: A Treasury of Terms & Literary Quotations $11.41

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Word Magic is a writing book like no other . . . joyful, exuberant, witty, and wise. It manages to be many things at once: a celebration of language, an examination of its mysteries, and an invitation for writers of every ilk to pick up their pens and join the party. Wonderful" --Kate DiCamillo, author of Tale of Despereaux, the Newbery Medal Winner, 2004, and Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newbery Honor Book, 2000

"Written with enthusiasm and laced with an abundance of appropriate examples from both adult and children's literature, WORD MAGIC makes a valuable addition to any writer's home library." --James Cross Giblin, former Editor-in-Chief at

"This book is full of fascinating writing techniques, many of which were new to me. It will be as indispensable to a word lover as a hardware store is to a tool lover." --Marileta Robinson, Senior Editor of Highlights for Children magazine

About the Author

Cindy Rogers is a teacher, an editor, and the author of three books and more than 100 stories, plays, articles, essays, profiles, and word conundrums. Her most recent book, Word Magic for Writers, is the result of several years of research on the richness and subtleties of the English language. Numerous articles and columns on the use of language and writing have been published in Writer's Digest, Children's Writer, and Magazine Markets for Children's Writers. Ms. Rogers' educational pieces have been published in Good Apple Newspaper, Educational Oasis, Parents of Teenagers and excerpts of her work have been used in testing materials by Harcourt Brace, McGraw Hill, SIRS, and Exploring English.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Writer's Institute Publications (September 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1889715247
  • ISBN-13: 978-1889715247
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #831,604 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Warning! this book addictive and very habit forming - no rehab available, January 30, 2009
This review is from: Word Magic for Writers (Paperback)
She had me when she started out with alliteration - I bought this because I love wordplay - and the love of constructing wicked sentences - it sounded good, and it totally blew me away!
Although very familiar with the constructions - I had never really known all the names of them - that was interesting! It's amazing what naming the things can do for you -
I had to read the thing straight through - (yeah, I gotta go back - but it was that kind of book - it just kept pulling you further into it -
The one thing that made it hard to follow sometimes, is that the layout, the sidebars, kind of jump all over the page - not clearly delineated - or marked -so one gets three ideas going on one page, and then when you turn it, it takes a little to find where the next thread picks up - but it can be done - it's just packed with data and examples.

I'd love to see a version where it's easier to follow (each interjection having it's own page - ) also, she mentions - this is a "yayaya" - and you will find that in the next chapter" - which tends to catch your attention up and make one stumble, unless you have a really good literary dictionary with you -
But if you dare to get through it all, THEN! you can go back and re-read for complete understanding & pleasure and use -
It starts with words, and then the concepts as applied to writing get larger - (The structures within!)
It's a mega book - thoroughly enjoyable if you are a word or writing junkie - without me really trying, it totally freshened my instant view
of ads, commercials, books, writing - songs, etc.

The real problem was that I write/versify alot - (wicked sentences) - and you start reading this, and you just go into overdrive - you are in a whole different mind frame, and the pearls falling from your mouth, even in normal everyday speech, come out in wickedly constructed sentences -

So I had to take a day or 2 off, (I had business reports to write) -
to get back to mundane everyday vernacular. If you are a word addict, if you can see or feel them, their textures, colors, and auras, how to string necklaces out of them, this book was made for wallowing - you die and go to heaven or hell, and you are totally happily greedy to roll in the nirvanic exhillerating mud, while buttering your stomach and having ambrosia of the gods leaking out all over -
If you are into words and heft and forms, this is a junkie's dream.

There - that's in understandable mundane english!


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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Writing Book You'll Ever Read!!!, November 19, 2008
This review is from: Word Magic for Writers (Paperback)
I can't say enough great things about this book!! I have read essentially every book on the market in both fiction and screenwriting and this is by far the most original - no other book contains such great skills to make your writing soar! I'm so glad I found it! It really is a must have if you want to write better - no other book is like it!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST writers' book EVER, July 4, 2010
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This review is from: Word Magic for Writers (Paperback)
This book is a must get for any writer serious about improving his/her craft. I knew some of the subjects, of course, such as metaphors, and similes, though this book explains how to make sure the comparisons you choose work. But I learned so many others, plus some of the things I do naturally, such as asyndeton and polysyndeton, which I didn't know were writing devices, were explained. That was a boon because I've been marked down in writing contests for some of these devices because the (evidently inexperienced) writer doing the judging thought they were grammatically incorrect. Now I know they are actually tools of good writing. My only negative comment is that the book isn't produced very well, i.e., binding is cracking and I fear pages will eventually fall out. Well worth it anyway.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
A schooled baker knows the importance of ingredients and how to use them. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York Times, Charles Dickens, Christmas Carol, Charlotte's Web, Lying Awake, Mark Salzman, Winston Churchill, World Report, Maniac Magee, New Yorker, Uncle Willie, Jerry Spinelli, Julius Caesar, Special Edition, Benjamin Franklin, Dylan Thomas, Little No Horse, Mark Morford, Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, San Francisco Gate, The Last Report, Wallace Stegner, William Shakespeare, Angela's Ashes
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