Writing Tools : 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Reprint) By Clark, Roy Peter Publisher : Little Brown & Co Published Date : 2008/01 Binding : Paperback ISBN : 9780316014991 BookWeb Price : S$ 20.71 Kinokuniya Privilege Card member price : S$ 18.64 Availability Status : Available for order from suppliers. Usually dispatches within 3 - 4 weeks. Language : English

 
Introduction: A Nation of Writers                  3  (6)
  Part One. NUTS AND BOLTS                         9  (48)
    Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.       11 (4)
    Order words for emphasis.                      15 (4)
    Activate your verbs.                           19 (4)
    Be passive-aggressive.                         23 (4)
    Watch those adverbs.                           27 (4)
    Take it easy on the -ings.                     31 (5)
    Fear not the long sentence.                    36 (5)
    Establish a pattern, then give it a twist.     41 (4)
    Let punctuation control pace and space.        45 (5)
    Cut big, then small.                           50 (7)
  Part Two. SPECIAL EFFECTS                        57 (60)
    Prefer the simple over the technical.          59 (5)
    Give key words their space.                    64 (4)
    Play with words, even in serious stories.      68 (4)
    Get the name of the dog.                       72 (4)
    Pay attention to names.                        76 (4)
    Seek original images.                          80 (4)
    Riff on the creative language of others.       84 (4)
    Set the pace with sentence length.             88 (5)
    Vary the lengths of paragraphs.                93 (5)
    Choose the number of elements with a           98 (5)
    purpose in mind.
    Know when to back off and when to show off.    103(4)
    Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction.   107(5)
    Tune your voice.                               112(5)
  Part Three. BLUEPRINTS                           117(76)
    Work from a plan.                              119(5)
    Learn the difference between reports and       124(4)
    stories.
    Use dialogue as a form of action.              128(5)
    Reveal traits of character.                    133(4)
    Put odd and interesting things next to each    137(5)
    other.
    Foreshadow dramatic events and powerful        142(4)
    conclusions.
    To generate suspense, use internal             146(4)
    cliffhangers.
    Build your work around a key question.         150(5)
    Place gold coins along the path.               155(4)
    Repeat, repeat, and repeat.                    159(6)
    Write from different cinematic angles.         165(4)
    Report and write for scenes.                   169(5)
    Mix narrative modes.                           174(5)
    In short works, don't waste a syllable.        179(5)
    Prefer archetypes to stereotypes.              184(4)
    Write toward an ending.                        188(5)
  Part Four. USEFUL HABITS                         193(52)
    Draft a mission statement for your work.       195(5)
    Turn procrastination into rehearsal.           200(5)
    Do your homework well in advance.              205(5)
    Read for both form and content.                210(4)
    Save string.                                   214(5)
    Break long projects into parts.                219(4)
    Take an interest in all crafts that support    223(5)
    your work.
    Recruit your own support group.                228(4)
    Limit self-criticism in early drafts.          232(4)
    Learn from your critics.                       236(4)
    Own the tools of your craft.                   240(5)
Afterword                                          245(1)
Acknowledgments                                    246(3)
Writing Tools Quick List                           249(6)
Index                                              255