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Getting the Words Right: 39 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Paperback)

~ Theodore Cheney (Author) "The title of this book, Getting the Words Right, was a direct theft on my part from an interview about revision that Ernest Hemingway gave..." (more)
Key Phrases: revision routines, words reduction, crowded section, Jacques Barzun, New York, Rees Cheney (more...)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
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Customers buy this book with Stein On Writing: A Master Editor of Some of the Most Successful Writers of Our Century Shares His Craft Techniques and Strategies by Sol Stein

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For more than 20 years, Getting the Words Right has helped readers from all professions and walks of life rewrite, revise, and refine their writing. That tradition continues with this all-new edition that features 39 targeted ways to improve writing by:

-Practicing the three fundamentals of revision (reducing, rearranging, and rewording) -Trimming weak or extra words to express ideas in a concise, forceful way -Creating smooth transitions between paragraphs -Correcting invisible faults of inconsistency, incoherence, and imbalance -Effectively checking for accuracy and errors (from dangling modifiers to comma splices)

With the tips and techniques in this book, readers will get it "write" every time!



About the Author

A longtime University professor, Theodore A Rees Cheney is also the author of Writing Creative Nonfiction.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Writers Digest Books; 2 edition (June 2, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 158297358X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1582973586
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #430,601 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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    #83 in  Books > Reference > Writing > Editing

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More About the Author

Theodore A. Rees Cheney
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
The title of this book, Getting the Words Right, was a direct theft on my part from an interview about revision that Ernest Hemingway gave to the late George Plimpton in his Paris Review. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
revision routines, words reduction, crowded section, bareback riding
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jacques Barzun, New York, Rees Cheney, Loren Eiseley, Day of Fate, Richard Selzer, Techniques of Fiction Writing, Ten Speed Press, William Zinsser, Anchor Books, Games of Ball, Gettysburg Address, Lewis Thomas, Random House, The Elements of Style, Viking Press, Writing Creative Nonfiction
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
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Getting the Words Right: 39 Ways to Improve Your Writing
84% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I have recommended this book for 10 years!, November 21, 2005
I'm the owner of a literary agency (About Words Agency), and when sending 99.95% of the submissions back to their authors for revision, I make sure to recommend Getting The Words Right, by Theodore Cheney in every single reply. I tell authors to read Stein on Writing, by Sol Stein, and then read Getting The Words Right. The two books work very well together. Cheney's method of working on the biggest problems first, like eliminating the first two or three chapters, and last of all, checking for smaller things such as spelling and punctuation, makes so much sense! It is the most efficient method of editing, and with increasingly busy lives, seems the most reasonable method as well. For a trademarked, innovative method of using your word processor to help you with the editing process, I also recommend Write in Style, by Bobbie Christmas. The competition for agents and publishers is fierce. If you want to get to the top of the pile, read and implement Getting The Words Right before you send in a query!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Great advice, unreadable type, August 3, 2007
Theodore Rees Cheney is a favorite guide for improving my writing. This book is another great example of his sound advice, relevant examples, and useful exercises. But the type size is so small and faint I had to use a magnifier to read it and the decorative flourishes on each page quickly become an annoying distraction. Shame on the publisher for diminishing such a good work. 5 stars for the content; zero stars for the page design.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The book on editing, January 24, 2008
Every time I reread a section of this book I learn somthing new about editing my fiction.

The author convinced me early that he know what he was talking about and the conviction stayed throughout. It seems clear that he applied every single one of his editing maxims to the work itself. Practicing what he preaches.

Having first read copy from the library I immediately ordered my own and have re read most of it several times. I have no doubt that it will be read through many more times before I have absorbed all of the wisdom it contains


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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Advise for Writers
This book is chock full of good advise. In spite of a small flaw, I recommend it. The flaw is in the print. It's brown rather than standard black. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Wanderer

5.0 out of 5 stars Getting The Words Right - 39 ways to improve your writing
The first sentence let's you know this is a concise, direct and
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Published 12 months ago by LAURA BURTON

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Most of my writing is done as a professional, drafting letters to clients. Somehow my writing had always seemed verbose and clunky. Read more
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