We read a passage from this in class on making workshops work well and the underlying message was that we approach this class with respect for each other as writers and to motivate each other, to help allow people to leave class feeling excited about whatever writing they are working on.
There are lots of great examples of effective writing in this book, especially the chapter "In Things: The Effective Use of Detailing in Showing and Telling." The examples of incorporating sensory perceptions into writing were astonishing.
This is a MUST HAVE for any writer. Throw it in your writer's backpack and refer to it as you need to. She has a great checklist for scenes - laminate it and keep it by your writing desk. When you finish writing a scene, pull out the checklist and see if you met the criteria - it will truly change your ability to see a scene in your mind's eye and then write it. And, she's a wonderful person to boot - full of passion for the writer and eager to share her knowledge - it all comes out in her book.
There are so many books on writing...and, believe me, I've read a bunch of them. This one is a stand-out. Clear, vivid, great examples that drive home the concepts. The whole book is terrific, but this author, (like no other) helped to simplify the concept of Point of View in a way that is helpful while so many other writing books make it more confusing. Sands Hall's experience as a writer, teacher, and actor are the perfect skills for this great writers' resource.
Sands Hall has some really great things to say in the book about building scenes and need for descriptive detail...I'm finding this to be a really helpful book, especially in its exercises and insights to the process of writing.
This book is a must read for any writer. It touches on everything you didn't learn in school and gives practical advice and concrete examples. This is much more than an academic text about how to write. It's written by someone who has lived to tell the tale.