Scan-N-Land

Tools of the Trade

The way we view information may be changing, but basic writing skills still stand strong at the base of the convergent media monster. They are what seperate a respectable writer from the mass of novice bloggers. They are the signals telling a reader that this information is professional, quality, and in the case of journalism, trustworthy.

At the National Press Club's annual book fair on Wednesday night, I met the vice president of the Poynter Institute, Roy Peter Clark. He was standing behind the row of tables among the other authors and his new book, "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer." Mr. Clark wished me luck on my career as a journalist and handed me a signed copy. Since then, I have yet to put it down.

I highly recommend this book to everyone in the class. It's a clear, concise and powerful guide to writing, divided up into 50 short sections. Clark uses entertaining anecdotes and clever examples explaining both when and how to use these writing "tools". Even now, as I write this blog entry I've been thinking through the ones I have read thus far (I'm about halfway through the book). Some of these include:

Tool #4- Be passive-aggressive.
Use passive verbs to showcase the "victim" of action.

Tool #14- Get the name of the dog.
Dig for the concrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.

Tool #22- Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction.
Learn when to show, when to tell, and when to do both.

There is also a handy list in the back of the book, displaying all 50 tools, which Clark suggests the reader copy and place either in their wallet or by their desk as reference. It's definitely, in my opinion, a good investment for any aspiring writer.


-Chris Snyder

posted by Mark H. @ 11/17/2006 06:11:00 PM