How to Write (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

How to Write is an introductory guide to writing, aimed at people who think they can't write, or for whom writing is an ordeal. Broken down into short topic-based chapters on everything from beginning to revising, it demystifies the writing process by taking the reader through each stage necessary to bring a piece of writing to a decent finish. The book also offers a wealth of invaluable practical considerations, including when and where to write, when to printout and when to edit onscreen, what type of pen works well for revisions, and the hazards of the paperclip. The author is a seasoned writer whose encouraging but uncompromising guidance will delight as well as instruct.
Offering practical advice in a lucid, no-nonsense style, How to Write will be ideal for both students and professional people who need to write during the course of their work.
Topic areas include:
How to begin, including prep work, producing drafts, and making outlines
Sentence construction, including word order, punctuation, and use of metaphors
Paragraph construction, including types of paragraphs, readability, and size reduction
Tips on research and using reference works

About the Author

Alastair Fowler is Regius Professor Emeritus of Rhetoric and English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. Other books include A History of English Literature and contributions to The Future of Literary Theory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 212 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0199278504
• ISBN-13: 978-0199278503
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,404 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Advice, July 22, 2007

By	Paul Silvia (Greensboro, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fowler's "How to Write" offers good advice; it deserves a spot on your shelf of writing books. Readers weary of condescending books by "language pundits" will appreciate this warm, open-minded book.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Packs a punch, August 31, 2007

By	Frederic Woodbridge "Fred" (ID, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is fighting in a weight class many times higher than one its dimunitive size would have you believe. And it is magnificent! It's a treasure trove of information and written with such clarity and common sense that it's a constant companion--whenever I have a few idle minutes, I bring this out and sample yet another chapter of ooey-gooey goodness, candy bar-like.
Only, it's definitely not empty calories, this is writing nutrition. The examples Fowler uses (sometimes in the form of simple quotes and other times by excerpts from great books and authors; I particularly enjoyed Churchill's) are just right and enlightening. I don't think there's a single page to which a reader can open at random that doesn't contain something tremendously informative. In fact, I'm going to try it now:

Page 158 (Chapter on Correctness)
These are proscribed and listed together with inoffensive, temporarily acceptable alternatives in sizeable dictionaries. For example, any word must be avoided that could imply an ancillary role for women: waitress, actress, etc. Instead, asexual designation like waitron are proposed; and wimmin or wymmyn replaces women (wo-men) for those who repudiate men altogether. But such usages (herstory for history is another) fail to engage with language in a serious way: it can't be altered lastingly at the behest of individuals. Unfortunately these most interested in changing the language are also those least interested in etymology. So niggardly (grudging) is condemned because of an imagined association with nigger.

Righto! He goes on to tackle the PC movement and its many loathsome euphemisms, in the tradition of Orwell's 'Politics and the English language' essay. It's simply good all around and in such a small book! I can't think of single thing detrimental thing I can say about 'How to Write' except maybe to wish it were longer. Highest recommendation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Not just for beginners -- veterans have learned from Fowler for years, September 12, 2008

By	A Reader in Washington, DC - See all my reviews

I had the great good fortune of studying with scholar and poet Alastair Fowler, and of experiencing this book when he offered aspects of it as a talk for graduate students. As soon as I learned it was a book I bought it. His insights are fresh and energizing, and he truly inspires one to write and to feel confident about it. Someone here suggested it's only for beginners, but I think that's balderdash (and I write for a living). Dr. Fowler's use of language may be (perhaps deceptively) clear, but his ideas have underpinned many a successful doctoral dissertation and well-written scholarly book.