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Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing (2nd Edition) | 
 enlarge | Author: John R. Trimble
Publisher: Prentice Hall
Category: Book
List Price: $37.20
Buy New: $20.00
You Save: $17.20 (46%)
New (28) Used (42) from $10.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 9864
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 198
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.5
ISBN: 0130257133
Dewey Decimal Number: 808.042
EAN: 9780130257130
ASIN: 0130257133
Publication Date: January 6, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A storehouse of practical writing tips, written in a lively, conversational style. Readers lean to develop a “writer's sense” : the book demonstrates that writing is really applied psychology since it is essentially the art of creating desired effects. Provides an explanation of what effects are desirable and how to create them. An exceptional book that works successfully on several levels simultaneously. Provides new insight into: how to generate interesting ideas and get them down on paper; how to write a critical analysis; how to write a crisp opener; how to invigorate a banal style; how to punctuate with confidence; how to handle various conventions, and much more. For anyone who needs a reference guide on writing.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
Trimble Unleashes Hidden Writing Talent September 12, 2008
"You are giving me an "F?" Are you @$#$^$ kidding me?" I stood aghast at the stupidity of this graduate level English professor. After 22 years of American education, I was in the middle of writing my doctoral dissertation. I took this graduate English Lit class on Ibsen on a lark. It would be sooo simple. Having done my Masters work on Ibsen's "Ghosts," I knew I could out think any of the English Lit lunkheads in my class when it came to theatre. But the sea of red ink on my paper could not be denied. The professor loved my thinking but hated my writing. "This is simply not graduate level work."
"Hey, Prof! I have spent 22 years in the American educational system, I am about to write my thesis, if I can't write, it is not my fault. It is this crummy system that allowed me to get this far. I want YOU to help me fix this before I have to write my thesis! I want you to tutor me."
Now Full Professors are not often called to task like that, but then I was an "old" grad student, so maybe he cut me a break. He said, "You don't want me to teach you writing. I have forgotten how to do that after 30 years. You want my teaching assistant who teaches Beginning Composition to help you."
I met the TA and the first thing he did was hand me J R Trimble's WRITING WITH STYLE, the 1st edition. I devoured the book. For the very first time in my educational "career," someone was teaching me how to write, rather than how NOT to write. No detailed rules and format stuff like Strunk's stuffy book. This book actually taught me how to think like a writer. It gave me the confidence to trust my own "voice." I stopped being hamstrung by rules and convention and started to communicate. The elimination of the "back door approach" and finally learning how to get rid of the "passive voice" in my writing fundamentally changed how I thought about myself as a writer.
I got an "A" in my Drama class, successfully wrote my dissertation, and when I got to my first teaching assignment, I was giving the job nobody at the school wanted -- a major writing assignment to create a joint Music Theatre proposal that had to bring together two warring departments who had fought over this document for 3 years. I wrote it in record time, and it passed immediately.
The chairman of our department came to me and said, "I knew you could teach but I never knew you were such a great writer!" Today, people spend a ton of dough to have me write marketing material for them. I wish my high school English teacher was alive to see me now. She was the one who first soured me on writing and "convinced me" that I could NOT write.
I never had a chance to thank you Dr Trimble. So I hope you see this. As educators, and certainly as publishers, we often have no idea of the impact our work has on people. Your book literally changed my life.
Other than that, I don't think much of it! :-)
Bill Metcalf, Ph. D., Theatre Arts, University of Minnesota 1982
President of TechnoShift, Inc
www.MoreAndBetterClients.com
Ps. Doc Trimble -- I would love to hear from you and if anyone has any doubts about this book shoot me an email at bill@moreandbetterclients.com. Since I capture multimedia testimonials for a living now, I would love to provide one for you Doc if you have a website.
Improve your writing September 10, 2008
I love this book. I am a law student and this book has helped me to become a more effective writer. I have recommended it to many colleagues and will continue to do so.
One of the Best December 30, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I've read a lot of books on writing over the years, so many that I've reserved a spot on the corner of my desk for the very best of them so I can refer to them every so often. Only a few books are in this pile: they are the special ones. And one of them is Trimble's book. I discovered it many years ago when it was in its first edition, and have held it in high esteem ever since. Not only does Trimble give you a lot of useful information, he does, indeed , do it "with style." I enjoy both the information and the way he presents it. He covers all aspects of writing, including grammar, and usually when I see a section on grammar in such a book I skip over it, but not in this case. Even it is a delight.
Great Intro to Writing Well September 21, 2005
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
If you only have time and money for one book on writing, get this one. But if you want two books, get this one and "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White.
Short+Good=Great July 28, 2005
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
You can read the book very quickly(2-3h) because it is written with great style(Trimble applies what he tells you,which makes the book a very good example to what he says). The advice is very practical, even the chapter on punctuation is useful-very useful i would say. Reading it once was enough for me to start using more expresive punctuation. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to improve his writing,whatever he may wish to write.
ps:this is the first book on writing i read. it might be that some/much of the advice from this book can be found in other books on writing.however, i think it's good to read this book, because it is short and nicely written;in the end it is a good idea to rehearse some things,sometime
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