Get to the Point! Painless Advice for Writing Memos, Letters and E-mails Your Colleagues and Clients Will Understand (Paperback)

by Elizabeth Danziger (Author) "Your mind is your most powerful word processor..." (more)
Key Phrases: organic outline, essential sentence, strong sentences, Organic Outlining, Elizabeth Donziger, Grammar Police (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Take Your Writamins!

Whether you’re an executive whose writing is too stiff, a highly trained professional who can’t string together two coherent sentences, a technical expert who wants to communicate in plain English, or an assistant who needs to brush up on writing basics so you can clean up your boss’s work, you need help. Here, finally, is the fun, informative book you’ve been looking for. Corporate writing coach Elizabeth Danziger presents the entire writing process, from procrastination through proofreading, briefly explaining each key point in a witty, easy-to-read manner. This accessible guide to effective workplace language includes:

* Tips on clear and concise writing
* Secrets of editing and revising
* Simple explanations of the most useful elements of grammar and punctuation
* Frequently misused words and how to remember their correct meanings

With practical information and plenty of good humor, Get to the Point! is the only writing book you’ll ever need.



From the Inside Flap
Take Your Writamins!

Whether you're an executive whose writing is too stiff, a highly trained professional who can't string together two coherent sentences, a technical expert who wants to communicate in plain English, or an assistant who needs to brush up on writing basics so you can clean up your boss's work, you need help. Here, finally, is the fun, informative book you've been looking for. Corporate writing coach Elizabeth Danziger presents the entire writing process, from procrastination through proofreading, briefly explaining each key point in a witty, easy-to-read manner. This accessible guide to effective workplace language includes:

* Tips on clear and concise writing
* Secrets of editing and revising
* Simple explanations of the most useful elements of grammar and punctuation
* Frequently misused words and how to remember their correct meanings

With practical information and plenty of good humor, Get to the Point! is the only writing book you'll ever need.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (December 11, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609807609
• ISBN-13: 978-0609807606
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #532,931 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother with it, February 12, 2006

By	RK (Mpls, MN) - See all my reviews

Elizabeth Danziger in her book Get to the Point attempts to offer readers a game plan to reduce stress and anxiety in an effort to write more effective memos, letters, and e-mails. Danziger is the fonder of WorkTalk, an organization dedicated to improving the communication of individuals and organizations, & she has written for popular magazines such as: Readers Digest and Family Circle. In this book, Danziger offers solid advice on how to deal with writer's block, & in some chapters, she gives visual checklists to help guide readers in the writing process.

However, readers will find the book unfocused; for example, in Chapter2 entitled: Planning your Writing, she has too many headings & subheading; one heading is: Analyze your reader before you start, which is about a half a page, then on the next page, she talks about how to connect with your reader using a 3 level formula. Yet, no where in the 3 level formula does she go into any detail, then jumps to a topic called "hot buttons" in which she offers little examples of how to determine the "hot buttons" of the writer's audience.

In addition to the lack of focus, you will find that the book is poorly organized. Some chapters have visual examples, and others do not. Chapter 6, Choose words Wisely, Chapter 7, Help for the Grammar Phobic, & Chapter 8 Mark my Punctuation should have all been combined as they deal with many of the same topics.

All in all, Danziger's book is a good example of a person that might be able to write magazine articles but does not have the ability to write a book. It's ironic that on the back of the book cover it says, "Get to the point! Is the only writing book you'll ever need" and I am saying this is the only book you should run from don't waste your money on this.

5.0 out of 5 stars Use this to help your people 'get to the point', July 6, 2008

By	Adam Clark "Adam Clark" (Europe) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not only useful for writing, this book helps your people communicate better, particularly for:
1) people from other disciplines who need to communicate effectively like finance people
2) people writing in English as a foreign language
3) experienced communicators looking to polish their skills

The author covers strategic writing such as 'audience hot buttons' as well as practical such as weak verbs to avoid like 'go', 'say' and 'do'. You may like her approach to writing creation using 'organic outlining' in part 3 to organize information effectively, where you express ideas as sentences on post-it notes.

This book is my first recommendation for people to communicate better. Because it is the most practical that I've seen comparing to others like "Elements of Style", etc.

I wish I had had this book in grade school !

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get Writing With Get to the Point, March 14, 2007

By	Linda Abraham (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Get to the Point provides a wonderful, practical, and useful guide to writing. I recommend it highly.