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A Wordsmith's Work
Leaders, business owners or people who want to get things done effectively need strong writing communications skills. This book offers useful insights into how to make your writing more persuasive and memorable. These are the tips, advice points, and examples of an expert communicator. Whether it’s persuading through newspaper “op-eds,” speeches, or even during crisis communications, “A Wordsmith’s Work” will improve the success of your message and enhance the reputation of your chosen messenger.
Author Mark Weaver has counseled thousands of clients all across America. He worked one-on-one with the Great Communicator himself, President Ronald Reagan. NBC News in Charlotte, North Carolina called Weaver "one of the nation's foremost experts in crisis communications." His weapon of powerful words. Words that persuade, inspire, and amuse. That's why Mark Weaver is sought out by corporate leaders, university presidents, and public officials all across America for high-level counsel on how to communicate better.
Weaver’s spot-on use of words that move people and change minds is on display throughout this book. Here are just a few
Describing his early work as a writer for
“The prose was workmanlike and passable for the tasks I was assigned. Some projects were fun to write. Others felt like ten miles of bad road.”
Pointing out the need to have a different viewpoint before writing an
“Op-eds advancing the conventional wisdom don’t offer anything interesting to the readers of newspapers. We all agree motherhood is a good thing. Everyone wants to thank our troops for their service. The duck-billed platypus is sadly misunderstood. Thus, op-eds about those topics are less likely to be published.”
Advising readers how to deal with an ambush interview from a TV news
“In old western movies, the good guy wore a white hat and the bad guy wore a black one. This basic narrative is in play during every ambush scenario. It’s important for the principal to remember that it’s not enough to be the good guy; it’s equally important to act like the good guy.”
Lamenting the difficulty of
“Each time a notion pesters me into action and I finally sit down to square off against a menacing blank screen and toothy keyboard, I boldly aspire yet again to the calling of wordsmith. This book chronicles those journeys of composition.”
When you read "A Wordsmith's Work," you'll be moved, persuaded, and you may even laugh out loud. If you're interested in more effective speeches, news media relations, or communications, then this is the book for you.
Perhaps this book and its author’s perspective is best summed up by U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson, who wrote the edition’s forward. Johnson’s key
“There’s no more apt term to describe Mark Weaver than what’s reflected in the title of this book — he is truly a ‘wordsmith.’ He’s a master at understanding the cultural, societal, and media influences of the day. He takes that knowledge and crafts a message that cuts through the confusion, so people see the clear truth.”
Praise for "A Wordsmith's Work"
National Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck “While Mark Weaver has used his considerable skills as a wordsmith to defend crime victims and law enforcement officers all across America, the tips and examples in this book can help everyone communicate better."
U.S.
Author Mark Weaver has counseled thousands of clients all across America. He worked one-on-one with the Great Communicator himself, President Ronald Reagan. NBC News in Charlotte, North Carolina called Weaver "one of the nation's foremost experts in crisis communications." His weapon of powerful words. Words that persuade, inspire, and amuse. That's why Mark Weaver is sought out by corporate leaders, university presidents, and public officials all across America for high-level counsel on how to communicate better.
Weaver’s spot-on use of words that move people and change minds is on display throughout this book. Here are just a few
Describing his early work as a writer for
“The prose was workmanlike and passable for the tasks I was assigned. Some projects were fun to write. Others felt like ten miles of bad road.”
Pointing out the need to have a different viewpoint before writing an
“Op-eds advancing the conventional wisdom don’t offer anything interesting to the readers of newspapers. We all agree motherhood is a good thing. Everyone wants to thank our troops for their service. The duck-billed platypus is sadly misunderstood. Thus, op-eds about those topics are less likely to be published.”
Advising readers how to deal with an ambush interview from a TV news
“In old western movies, the good guy wore a white hat and the bad guy wore a black one. This basic narrative is in play during every ambush scenario. It’s important for the principal to remember that it’s not enough to be the good guy; it’s equally important to act like the good guy.”
Lamenting the difficulty of
“Each time a notion pesters me into action and I finally sit down to square off against a menacing blank screen and toothy keyboard, I boldly aspire yet again to the calling of wordsmith. This book chronicles those journeys of composition.”
When you read "A Wordsmith's Work," you'll be moved, persuaded, and you may even laugh out loud. If you're interested in more effective speeches, news media relations, or communications, then this is the book for you.
Perhaps this book and its author’s perspective is best summed up by U.S. Congressman Bill Johnson, who wrote the edition’s forward. Johnson’s key
“There’s no more apt term to describe Mark Weaver than what’s reflected in the title of this book — he is truly a ‘wordsmith.’ He’s a master at understanding the cultural, societal, and media influences of the day. He takes that knowledge and crafts a message that cuts through the confusion, so people see the clear truth.”
Praise for "A Wordsmith's Work"
National Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck “While Mark Weaver has used his considerable skills as a wordsmith to defend crime victims and law enforcement officers all across America, the tips and examples in this book can help everyone communicate better."
U.S.
392 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 11, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 22, 2017
An collection of op-eds, speeches, book reviews and writing tips from someone who has been working in communications and public affairs for thirty years. What struck me about Mark's work was not his particular skill in writing in a literary or grammatical sense but the way he threaded his experience and knowledge into a wide ranging career. He combined a law degree and an interest in communications into an impressive and wide ranging career across public affairs & politics; from spokesman to deputy AG, from magistrate to crisis communications consultant, from speech writer to campaign management and advertizing. What you come away with from reading his work is how he is always looking for a way to leverage his knowledge, skill and experience to, as the subtitle of the book notes, "persuade, inform and amuse." Mark knows how communications in the public sphere works and he brings that knowledge to everything he does; for his clients and in his own work.
What this book offers is a collection of examples and insights from Mark's career. Reading it allows those interested in the intersection of communications and public affairs to see how go about building a career and leverage the knowledge and insights you build along the way. Anyone interested in practicing this craft will benefit from reading this collection.
What this book offers is a collection of examples and insights from Mark's career. Reading it allows those interested in the intersection of communications and public affairs to see how go about building a career and leverage the knowledge and insights you build along the way. Anyone interested in practicing this craft will benefit from reading this collection.
March 21, 2019
Ain't no Wordsmith
Maybe I was expecting more based on the promotion this book received.
I usually like learning from examples. But the author is in love with his past written work which brings back for an encore. Maybe they had been insightful and persuasive when they were fresh. By halfway through I had had enough of his patronizing and manipulative tone. Better books on this subject are out there. I'm pleased to delete and move on.
Maybe I was expecting more based on the promotion this book received.
I usually like learning from examples. But the author is in love with his past written work which brings back for an encore. Maybe they had been insightful and persuasive when they were fresh. By halfway through I had had enough of his patronizing and manipulative tone. Better books on this subject are out there. I'm pleased to delete and move on.
March 18, 2021
Mark R Weaver is an outstanding writer. He is truly a master wordsmith. The speech he wrote on pg 269 alone is worth reading.
Great book!
Great book!
May 30, 2024
Meh. Recommended to me at recent conference. Wish I had researched more before ordering. Written pre-pandemic. Some things dated. But main comms principles hold true. A lot of letters to editor.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews