The Art of Writing: Four Principles for Great Writing that Everyone Needs to Know

by Peter Yang

Overview

Discover the lost art of great writing.

Since the invention of writing, the written word has fueled humanity's astonishing progress. Thus, the ability to write effectively and beautifully has long been revered and rewarded.

And yet in the digital age, people have begun to believe that this talent is somehow obsolete: that writing is something unworthy of study beyond the basic mechanics of vocabulary and syntax and grammar, that mediocre prose is acceptable in a world crying out for clear and precise communication.

Peter Yang believes otherwise.

The Art of Writing is Yang's highly practical treatise on the four key principles of dazzling, effective writing--economy, transparency, variety, and harmony. Far from your garden-variety style guide, the principles in this book apply to everyone, whether you're writing an inauguration speech or a letter home to Mom.

Great writing is a skill, and this book gives you the tools to make your words shimmer on the page (or the screen). Packed with real-world insights and advice, The Art of Writing is your ultimate guide to transforming your writing and unleashing your inner artist.

Fans of The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr., On Writing Well by William Zinsser, The Little Seagull Handbook by Richard Bullock, and Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott will love this book.

This book is for anyone who likes reading about:

• How to write

• Writing nonfiction

• Writing fiction

• How to be a better writer

• Writing style

• Business writing

• Writing a book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781631610769
Publisher:	TCK Publishing
Publication date:	12/01/2019
Pages:	108
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.22(d)

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION vii PRINCIPLE 1: Economy 1 Crush Your Crutches 5 Don’t Repeat Yourself 6 Write with Conviction 7 Streamline Your Writing 8 Remove Unnecessary Cases of Which Is and That 10 Write in the Positive 12 Be Judicious with the Information You Provide 13 Use Punctuation Sparingly 16 Prefer the Active Voice tothe Passive Voice 17 PRINCIPLE 2: Transparency 21 Be Intentional 23 Use Figures of SpeechYour Readers Understand 25 Write to the Layman 26 Avoid Clichés 27 Stick to One Interpretation 27 Create Sharp Distinctions 29 Describe with Purpose 30 Make Your Tense Shifts Deliberate 31 Be Meticulous with Your Modifiers 33 Make This Clear 35 Prefer the Concrete to the Abstract 37 Avoid Flowery Language 38 Save the Best for Last 39 PRINCIPLE 3: Variety 43 Vary Your Sentence Structures 45 Vary Your Paragraph Structures 47 Vary Your Word Choice 51 PRINCIPLE 4: Harmony 55 Harmonize Your Language 58 Harmonize Your Thoughts 63 Say What You Mean and Mean What You Say 67 CODA: Meditations on Writing 69 Reading to Write 71 Is There Objectively Good Writing? 73 Time as a Valuable Resource 74 Writing as Autobiography 77 The Error of Arrogance 80 Truth—the Cornerstone of Artistic Writing 81 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 85 CONNECT WITH PETER 89