Word Hero: A Fiendishly Clever Guide to Crafting the Lines that Get Laughs, Go Viral, and Live Forever

by Jay Heinrichs

Yes, it’s you can learn how to be a verbal wizard!
 
Ever hear someone utter an unforgettable phrase and feel yourself reacting with with…well, awe?  Ever read a great quote and think I could never come up with anything that clever ?  
 
Daunting as it may seem, there’s nothing mystical about witcraft.  Crafting memorable lines doesn’t require DNA-encoded brilliance. What it does require is some knowledge of the tricks and techniques that make words stick.
 
In Word Hero, Jay Heinrichs rescues the how-to of verbal artistry from cobwebbed textbooks and makes it entirely fresh– even a little mischievous.  Fear on offer here are not dry, abstract ideas couched in academic jargon.  Rather, Heinrichs takes you on an amusing – and amazingly helpful – tour of the mechanisms that make powerful language work.  You’ll learn how to slyly plant your words in people’s heads and draw indelible verbal pictures by employing such tools as “crashing symbols,” “rapid repeaters,” “Russian Dolls” and even the powers of Mr. Potato Head.
 
With those tools and others tucked in your utility belt, you might not immediately achieve “wordsmith immortality” but you will become a better speaker, writer, and raconteur…and long after people have forgotten everything else, they’ll remember your priceless lines.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Language, Business, Words, Psychology

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jay Heinrichs is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Thank You for Arguing, published in four editions and 14 languages. The leading modern work on rhetoric, it has been taught in more than 3,000 college rhetoric classes and countless AP English Language & Composition classes.

Jay maintains the popular rhetoric and language websites ArgueLab.com and websites Figarospeech.com. In addition, he holds frequent Skype-ins with classes that use his book.

When he’s not spreading the gospel of rhetoric, Jay conducts content strategies and persuasion workshops for clients as varied as the Wharton School of Business and NASA. Middlebury College named him a Professor of the Practice of Rhetoric and Oratory. Bloomberg BusinessWeek magazine did a not altogether flattering portrait of him titled Jay Heinrichs’s Powers of Persuasion.

Reviews

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Word Hero started out promising. The discussion of witcraft had me anticipating a thoughtful and witty book that would break down great quotes and examine what made them stick and how we could craft similarly engaging lines. To be sure, there was some of that, with good analyses of quotes from Warren Buffett and Ogden Nash and a poem by Carl Sandburg. However, for most of the book Heinrichs relies on his own wit and that of his family. And that wit is more groan-inducing than enlightening. You've got soon-outdated pop-culture quips ("the sort who actually like the horrible song 'Like a G6'"), heavy-handed examples of tropes ("I leered at the feat of gravity that lay beneath the unbuttoned top of her blouse"), and tired jokes ("Kids might find the can-telephone confusing ('How do I update my Facebook on this thing?')"). Look, I like wordplay - when it's witty. I like rhetoric - when it's well done. What I can't stand are sentences that think they're terribly clever when they're really just annoying.

It's not all bad, though. The sections on finding your core thoughts and unwriting sentences are helpful, the text is laid out well and easily understood, and the author explains methods of rhetoric well enough. If you didn't learn about devices like anaphora and chiasmus in school, it wouldn't hurt to check this book out from the library. It's certainly better than a textbook.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book. Good concepts. Lousy examples. Rather than trying to come up with his own mediocre examples of rhetorical figures of speech, he could have done a little research and found more examples in great speeches and autobiographies. To give him a little credit, there were some, but not enough and some of his own were some so bad I actually winced. I suppose I should be critiquing the book with some witty turn of phrase, but the book brought me down by not living up to it's subtitle: A Fiendishly Clever Guide to Crafting the Lines that Get Laughs, Go Viral, and Live Forever.

[P.M. Bradshaw · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author really likes himself. The author thinks he's clever - really, really clever; fiendishly clever. He states again and again that his family does not agree with him on this. They are CORRECT.

A very difficult read.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reference toolbox item, much like his other book "Thank You for Arguing". I liked both books to help me with reinforcing verbal information which I hope can go a long way with more manageable communication. This book has a lot of info/data to digest which the author mashes down in "contemporary" terms...much of which I will label as corny sometimes but the intent was evident for its purpose(s).

[Richard Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky, fluent and useful. This, along with Mark Forsythe's Elements of Eloquence, are the two books that stand out most for me on the subject of figuring speech, the fun part of rhetoric.

With a little time and effort, you'll be crafting comments and cusses with the finesse of a Shakespeare.

Great fun and great writing.

[Sarah Brousseau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 65/75: Word Hero: A Fiendishly Clever Guide to Crafting the Lines that Get Laughs, Go Viral, and Live Forever by Jay Heinrichs. The title is an apt description of this journey! It was indeed a fiendishly clever guide filled with puns that got some laughs and brilliantly done! I'd keep this one in my mental toolbox of writing implement tricks for a long time!

[Maggie Brogden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent "how-to" for forming fresh metaphors and improving writing. I will be reading and rereading this one. If you want to learn how to reset your thinking and avoid cliched writing this is a helpful book.

[Adri · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you paid any attention at all in your middle school English classes, then you know everything in this book already. You don’t need to suffer through reading it from an author who’s more condescending than clever.

[Mary Vogelsong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost like a classroom course. The author offers many good tips for writing and speaking, using literary devices. Unfortunately, Heinrichs takes great delight in making other people feel bad. (Did you see what I did there?) Sometimes funny is hurtful.

[Amni Yusoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

You're having a chat with one of your friends. He just finished singing the praises for political correctness; feelings are more important than freedom of speech can ever be. One is real while the other is a man-made abstraction. He looks at you with his gleaming hazelnut browns. He's waiting for your response.

You smile. "Don't get me wrong," you say, "Political correctness activists do have the compassion of a Dalai Lama and the righteousness of a Mandela, but they also have the mental acuity of a broth of boiled broccoli."

Your friend loses the smile he was wearing, his porcelain skin now Nazi red. This escapes your notice as you are too caught up happy that you said a memorable line out of thin air. A line which you wouldn't have know how to make without ever reading Word Hero.


Hideous and revealing(of my possible inclinations)as that example may be, the tools in this book are not at all about disarming people you disagree with. Word Hero teaches you how to say and write phrases that your listeners will remember, phrases that will turn you from a friendly host to a conversationalist.

[Aimeekay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I just put the book here for you? It could speak for itself so much better than I could.

If you are an author and want to be a better writer. If you are an orater and want to be a better speaker. If you are a wallflower and want to pull yourself off that wall and really BLOOM! This book is a must for you!

Ok, I know I soud a little like a sales pitch there. *Shrug* Sorry, but I really did like this book. I found it witty and entertaining, as well as extremely informative. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I would like this book. It's not my normal comfort zone genre of sci-fi or paranormal romance. In fact it isn't even fiction at all. Even with the bright neon colored cover that was spattered with memorable quotes. But that was one of the risks I took when deciding just to do reviews of books I'd won from GoodReads First Reads. I enter every contest listed on there that I can and, wether or not I would actually buy the book if given a choice, I made a deal with myself to read the book and give it a fair shot, and an honest review. Sometimes, in cases such as this one, the deal is definitely in my favor.
Heinrichs takes you step by step through a smorgashboard of word techniques. Demystifying them and making them easy for the average human's consumption. He even puts in little exercises to try with each technique to help encourage your brain to retain the information. On top of being easy to understand Heinrichs is also funny. The quotes that he uses range from Mark Twain to Sue Sylvester. He explains in the final chapter how to pull the devices together to apply them to apply them to stories and speaches. Even how to use them in arguements, where you might not walk away the winner, but you might just walk away the most memorable.
I had never heard of Jay Heinrichs before this book, but after reading it, I am now most
certainly a fan. I would read his other works in a heart beat and can only hope that one day I can achieve his level of word heroism.

****In compliance with FTC guidelines, I'm disclosing that I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads Giveaways.****

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever want to be the most clever person in the room, either on paper or in person? Grab this book now as your secret weapon against droll and boring speech! This book on word craft and play is probably the most humorous guide you will ever find about become a better and more memorable writer and speaker. There are exercises that help you build your skills to write more clever lines using what you already know. The author uses clever bits of television banter, most notably from the Glee series, to get you to think outside the box, around the box and even inside the box to become a more interesting writer. This is a great reference book for anyone who wants to spice up their communications a bit. This one is not leaving my shelf since it is one of the best books on the subject I have read in a long time.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this from the giveaways on goodreads and I must say, for a book about writing, or really, creating memorable quotes, it was easy, even enjoyable to read. The reasons I didn't give this a five star rating is because 1) I highly doubt I could ever read a non-fiction book about writing and go "OMG, must immediately read again." and 2) I had issues with the way he addressed (and chose) his intended audience. After reading, it was fairly obvious that he is writing for either a) a married woman wanting to learn how to diss her husband with more finesse or b) a female high school student wanting to learn figures of speech. It can be a helpful book for the wife, but the high school student will find it hard to pass a test because each figure is given an unofficial, though easier to remember name.

[Kayla Embry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book from a Goodreads giveaway!
If you have ever wanted to be the person who could always grab others attention and hold it just by speaking to them or through your writing, this book is for you!! It may not sound like it would be an interesting subject or that this book would be a good read, but it is simply because Jay Heinrichs is a word hero. He manipulates his speech in a way that draws you in and keeps your attention and through this book he teaches the reader to do the same! A witty and often times funny. I believe this should be a good and useful book for everyone!

[Naum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointed. Was greatly anticipating, as I loved Thank You For Arguing (enjoyed, read and digested at least a half dozen times, and inspired me to explore the ancient classics on the art of rhetoric).

Found this volume to be "dumbed down" too much, and the goofy pop references, that seemed refreshing and insightful in Thank You For Arguing fell flat in Word Hero. And the author seemed to be straining by the end of the book, as his examples of "story" struck me as entirely uninspiring and uninteresting.

[Isha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that this book was witty and quite enjoyable to read, although I wish some sections were expanded upon. It would also have been nice if there was a larger variety of examples from humorous shows outside of Glee (The Big Bang Theory, anyone?).

On the other hand, the examples themselves aided a great deal in illustrating what the author was trying to say.

Otherwise, I feel like I learned a great deal from this book, and it's a nice supplementary for students taking any English/writing class.

[PoligirlReads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just okay. I had heard so many good things about it, and it was real a let-down. If he is a word hero, then I don't want to be one. He is not clever, fiendishly or otherwise, and has an odd obsession with quotes from Glee. I don't doubt his credentials, but I do doubt his ability to effectively transfer what he knows about crafting lines to his audience. Unless you are utterly clueless, there's not much here that will be of assistance to writers.

I gave two stars due to the definitions. I did appreciate learning the formal terms for many writing techniques.

[John Orman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clever review of many devices that writers or speakers can use to craft witticisms and become the latest Oscar Wilde. Those wordplays include Mr. Potato Head ("all the suspense of a phone book"), Venereal Language ("wag of wits," "cloister of penguins"), Getting Medieval ("get all witty"), Portmanteau ("glitterati"), Russian Doll Figures ("tantrum wrapped in a diaper"), and Yogisms("rise above our principles," "if you come to a fork in the road, take it"). Highly recommended for wordsmiths in all literary domains.

[Linda Schell · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I were asked to recommend a book that would help one increase their writing skill, I would recommend Elements of Style by E. B. White, Writing Tools: 50 essential strategies for every writer by Roy Peter Clark, and Jay Heinrichs's Word Hero. Not only is Word Hero informative and easy, it is a fun read. A fiendishly clever guide to crafting the lines that get laughgs, go viral, and live forever is an apt description for this book. Nothing more needs said. I recommend it highly, and I will be referring to if often.

[Morgan (Turbo) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I agree, this book starts out good and very interesting but then gets bogged down with not-so-witty anecdotes. I think the main idea is to start with a boiled-down idea, get to the bones of what you want to state, and then build up from there using one of the tools he presents in the book. I might have got some good tips but overall just an OK book

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The publisher sent me this book because I have a blog about punctuation. I enjoyed the examples of succinct writing. It had some good advice. The only thing that bogs it down a bit is the excessive use of technique names. I'll remember some of the tips but not what the "Mr. Potato Head" is.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I still have no idea what this book was supposed to be about and, in retrospect, I have no idea why I even started to read it. The irony of the author claiming to be a master of wit in a book utterly lacking in it was just too much for me to handle.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for professional review

[Lori Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not only good for online writing skills, but is finding itself useful to my children for their creative writing skills in High School.

[Riegs · Rating 4 out of 5]

**ARC/GIVEAWAY**

Thanks for the giveaway! This book is a hilarious writing guide that I've already shared with many of the middle-schoolers I teach writing to.

[Lindsey Orlando]

Mentioned in an interesting article in the in-flight magazine on Southwest Airlines

[Dan Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for producing memorable writing. I'm rereading the book in 2013.

[Dylan Carpowich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is not bad at all. It gives you lots of figures to spice up your writing.

[Tnb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much better than the previous book. The content is not buried in unnecessary commentary. The content is relevant and to the point. Highly recommend.