Can you recommend a general writing book for me?

Nick,

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

That slouch Kevin Rogers told me to get it. I found it
to be VERY good... now if only I would finish it :rolleyes:

You've been writing for years, so there's a very good chance you've read the following. But just in case I'll assume some might be new to you.

I found Stephen King's book, "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft", I think it's called, was a great resource.

He should know writing obviously, and he's got great advice in the latter part of the book for these kinds of needs. Enjoyable and fun to read. You can probably get a good idea from the Amazon reviews of whether it's something you'd like.

This is a bit off from what you're looking for, but one of the best, honest-to-goodness "secret" books I've beat up, highlighted and dog-eared repeatedly is "The Story Factor" by Anette Simmons.

It's not exactly on writing - but the principles on persuasion through story are applicable in print and otherwise. Again - it's not a technical how-to like you're asking for, but it's a good subject here to share the book with others - it's that good. It's more about persuasion and influence using stories. I rarely hear people talk about it which surprises me a bit.

Of course, if you don't have the Strunk and White book, "The Elements of Style", that's good too. It's more rules and the technical aspects of "correct" writing. But...good chance you've got it or heard about it.

Just a few thoughts. Hope it helps a bit.

Oh, and I second "On Writing Well" as well. It's a good one too as IM Viper said.

Hi Nick,

Here are three excellent ones from my bookshelf:

1)Getting the Words Right: How to Rewrite, Edit and Revise by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
Gives you lots of tools and examples for looking at your writing and improving it

2)The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers, 3rd Edition by Christopher E. Vogler
This is a kind of Bible for screenwriters, but it's good for anyone trying to understand the dynamics of storytelling

3)Plain Style: Techniques for Simple, Concise, Emphatic Business Writing by Richard Lauchman
Kind of academic, but helps you write precisely, clearly and with impact

Marcia Yudkin

Great stuff, thanks guys!

I've ordered some of your recommendations.

@Nathan, I bought Story Factor months ago, forgot I had it, haven't read it yet! I must get round to it, as we all know how powerful stories can be.

I like the one by Herschell Gordon Lewis entitled "Sales Letters That Sizzle".

Are you talking copywriting or writing. Lots of threads of books for copywriting.

Some books on writing:

Dido the Stephen King recoommendation

Lawrence Block - Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

Ronald Tobias - 20 Master Plots And How To Build Them

The best book for grammar is by Strunk and White: The Elements of Style. The best book for all things with English Writing is: The Little Brown Handbook. Also, try Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. Good luck!

Dammit guys... I'm gonna have to bookmark this thread now

Yeah Nick, I felt the same way too. The book is great, but the bigger sections apply only as needed.

Interesting to watch him go through the process within the book itself and how he edits his own writing and why. Very instructional.

On writing - Stephen King (very short and fun to read).

Good luck,
Practical Copywriting

I think The skills are the same whether you are writing fiction or fact, so dig in, read a bit, study a bit and write a lot.

Recommended books about: Writing Life Stories ，Writing Memoir，Journaling

The best book I ever came across:
Louder Than Words - by Joe Navarro - Take Your Career from Average to Exceptional with the Hidden Power of Nonverbal Intelligence

I recommend Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury.

bird by bird is a good book.

hope that helps

My personal favorite is:Bird By Bird by Anne LaMott

On Writing Well gets my vote as well but along with
books on writing I would strongly recommend books
on editing such as "writetight" by William Brohaugh.

A huge part of writing is clarity.

-Ray Edwards