Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style Reprint Edition

4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings
ISBN-13: 978-0375722271
ISBN-10: 0375722270
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Used: Very Good | Details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

" . . .delivers what it advertises: a kick in the pants toward bold, contemporary style. . . .  This will be the best ten bucks you've ever spent. . . . 5 of 5 stars" ---Jules L., 15 Nov., 2009 --Go, Go, Gatsby (gogogatsby.com)

"[A] book filled with wise advice, many belly laughs, and much inspiration. I re-read it from front to back at least once a year--and I dip into its pages from time to time as a way of recharging my writing batteries. -"The Five Best Writing Books No One Ever Told You About," Daphne Gray-Grant, July 2, 2013,
Ragan's PR Daily: Europe

"[L]oving language doesn't mean we always understand how particular words or expressions work their magic. Personally, I really love it when someone like Plotnik can break it down for me, help me look under the hood to see how that writer I so admire has done it." ---Nancy Wick,
The Editor's POV, Jan. 6, 2011

During my often misspent days at St. Edward High School, how I wished I had someone like Arthur Plotnik to spice my daily diet of 
Warriner's English Grammar and Composition,  . . .  I'm just glad I discovered Spunk & Bite after its debut lessthan a decade ago.  -J. F. McKenna, Cleveland Business Review, July 2, 2015  clevelandbusinessreview.org/2015/07/02/the-art-of-messaging-today/#comment-10113

. . . the next step in a writer's evolution. In this age of increasingly short attention spans and overwhelming media input, writing must have "punch and vibrancy" to capture a reader's interest. This clear and entertaining instruction guide seeks to energize and liberate writers from outdated style conventions.
--eraserheadpress.com/2015/06/25/top-10-books-recommended-for-writers/

Review

. . . I found the book a hoot to read and at the same time a very smart guide to all aspects of penning a superb paragraph. At the end, his chapter called "Butterflies in the Killing Fields" is worth the price of admission

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House Reference; Reprint edition (May 8, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375722270
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375722271
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 11.8 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 62 ratings

About the author

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Arthur Plotnik, in spite of his funny name, is a versatile author with a distinguished background in editing and publishing. Two of his works have been featured as Book-of-the-Month Club selections: "The Elements of Editing," a standard reference through some 20 printings, and "The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts into Words." Reviewers have consistently praised Plotnik's writing for its accuracy, style, and wit, often ranking it with "The Elements of Style" (Strunk &amp; White)in practicality. However, his popular "Spunk &amp; Bite: A Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style" (Random House)challenges some of Strunk &amp; White's inhibiting dictates as it guides the writer to more risk-taking, more adventurous, more publishable prose.

Plotnik's newest book is "Aaron Schmink's Crazy First Love," a coming-of-age Young Adult novel inspired by memories from his adolescence in the 1950s and published as a Kindle ebook in Jan. 2019.

His next-to-latest book, published by Viva Editions, completely updates "The Elements of Expression" in a revised and expanded edition. Viva also published his "Better than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives," offering more than 5,000 alternatives to "great," "awesome," "amazing" and other shopworn terms of praise and acclamation. Former Poet Leaureate Billy Collins calls it "AMEN-ASTONISHING!"

A native of White Plains, N.Y., Plotnik studied under Philip Roth and Vance Bourjaily in the Iowa Writers Workshop. After an Army stint, he served as a staff writer on the Albany (N.Y.) Times-Union, where novelist-to-be William Kennedy worked across the city desk, puffing cigars.

Plotnik ground out 22 pseudonymnous potboilers for the Scott-Meredith Literary Agency, some of them while completing work on the second of two master's degrees (English, library service). In his return to respectability, he surfaced in Washington, D.C, as press and public relations assistant to the Librarian of Congress and newsletter editor. He was later a magazine editor in New York, where the second of his two daughters was born.

As a publisher, Plotnik brought five national awards to the American Library Association's book imprint. He won numerous honors also as editor of "American Libraries," ALA's flagship magazine.

Plotnik has written scores of magazine articles and columns, eight nonfiction books (including his first writer's guide, "The Elements of Authorship") and short stories and poems. He has appeared in publications ranging from "La Prensa" (Bolivia) and "Playboy" to "The New York Times" and "Los Angeles Times." A contributor to "The Writer Magazine" and member of its editorial board, he has also contributed to "Britannica Book of English Usage" and the "American English" column of "American Way" in-flight magazine.

A passionate observer of trees, he is author of "The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town," illustrated by his wife, the artist Mary H. Phelan. "The New York Times Book Review" called this work "indispensable." On July 4 of the Constitution's 200th birthday year (1987), the National Archives published his "The Man Behind the Quill," a biography of the Constitution's calligrapher, Jacob Shallus. The award-winning book was highlighted in "Time" magazine and praised as "a small miracle of research."

A popular speaker, Plotnik taught part-time in the journalism department at Columbia College in Chicago. Special honors include service as a charter board member, American Book Awards, and first place in the prestigious "Verbatim" national competition for essays on the English language. He is listed in "Who's Who," "Contemporary Authors," "Journalists of the United States, and other directories of writers and journalists. He lives in Chicago with his wife, the artist Mary H. Phelan, and is represented by literary agent Roger Williams of New England Publishing Associates.

His web site is www.arthurplotnik.com

________________________________________________________________________

BRAGGIN' ON "SPUNK &amp; BITE" AT FOURTEEN. This year (2019) I'm reveling in the 14th anniversary of SPUNK &amp; BITE my "Writer's Guide to Bold, Contemporary Style." Random House published the hardcover in 2005 and the paperback in 2007. About 37,000 sales later it's still chugging along, scoring gratifying reviews, in use at Harvard and in many writing programs, and—perhaps most pleasing— winning thanks from aspiring individuals. Pictured: The paperback cover, with designer Nora Rosansky's spunky pooch.

_______________________________________________________________________

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
62 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

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Top reviews from other countries

CatsAndBooks
4.0 out of 5 stars Rhythm and intent before perceived correctness
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 24, 2017
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Robert Breustedt
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2014
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Inna Sokolova
5.0 out of 5 stars Spunk and Bite rules!!!
Reviewed in Canada on February 27, 2016
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Dr. Bichitra Bhusan Misra
2.0 out of 5 stars Two Stars
Reviewed in India on October 16, 2016
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Reader from Toronto
3.0 out of 5 stars So so.
Reviewed in Canada on December 14, 2018
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