Political Writing: A Guide to the Essentials

by Adam Garfinkle

Writing well, and persuasively, is not only a discipline that can be learned, it is one deeply rooted in the classical arts of rhetoric and polemic. This book introduces the essential skills, rules, and steps for producing effective political prose appropriate to many contexts, from the editorial, the op-ed, and the polemical essay to others both weighty and seemingly slight.

Genres: Writing, Politics, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published May 11, 2012

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very short handbook for writing political pieces in various genres. It is basically the syllabus and lecture notes for a course Garfinkle taught. There are large sections of the book on spelling, basic grammar, punctuation, etc. that can be gleaned from Strunk and White or any number of writing manuals. Perhaps more time could have been spent on the back half of the book which covers various genres: op eds, essays, committee reports and others.