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Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs
Even the best writers want to know how to write more powerfully.
You may write blog posts, e-books, e-mails, executive summaries, e-zine articles, hospital-hallway signs, presentations, proposals, lab reports, letters to the editor, love letters, lunch-bag notes, movie reviews, news stories, novels, online help, plays, poems, proposals, recipes, reference manuals, scholarly critiques, speeches, term papers, tweets, user-interface text, video scripts, web pages, or white papers.
You may write for a million readers or for one. You may use a pen, a typewriter, a wiki, or an XML authoring tool. You may be a grammar snob, or you may think that "grammar snobs are great big meanies." You may write because something within you says you can't not write--or because your boss says you can't not write. No matter what you write, or how or why, you and every other writer have two things in you use words, and you want someone to want to read them.
How do you get people to want to read your words? Know your subject. Know your audience. And write powerfully. This book can help you write powerfully.
You may write blog posts, e-books, e-mails, executive summaries, e-zine articles, hospital-hallway signs, presentations, proposals, lab reports, letters to the editor, love letters, lunch-bag notes, movie reviews, news stories, novels, online help, plays, poems, proposals, recipes, reference manuals, scholarly critiques, speeches, term papers, tweets, user-interface text, video scripts, web pages, or white papers.
You may write for a million readers or for one. You may use a pen, a typewriter, a wiki, or an XML authoring tool. You may be a grammar snob, or you may think that "grammar snobs are great big meanies." You may write because something within you says you can't not write--or because your boss says you can't not write. No matter what you write, or how or why, you and every other writer have two things in you use words, and you want someone to want to read them.
How do you get people to want to read your words? Know your subject. Know your audience. And write powerfully. This book can help you write powerfully.
270 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2013
116 people are currently reading
1133 people want to read
About the author
Marcia Riefer Johnston
6 books14 followersWhen Marcia was 12, American Girl magazine printed her eight-paragraph story, “The Key,” and paid her $15. She has been writing ever since.
To share her love of writing, she has written two books:
- Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them)
- You Can Say That Again: 750 Redundant Phrases to Think Twice About
At Lake Forest College, she wrote one-act plays that were performed on the campus stage, learned from, and buried. She studied under Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff in the Syracuse University creative-writing program. She taught technical writing in the Engineering School at Cornell University. She has done writing of all kinds for organizations of all kinds, from the Fortune 500 to the just plain fortunate.
Marcia has written for the scholarly journal Shakespeare Quarterly, the professional journal Technical Communication, and the weekly newspaper Syracuse New Times. She used to write letters by the boxful. She has contributed posts to her daughter’s Peace Corps blog, texts to her son’s cell phone, and answers to her husband’s crossword puzzles. Her words have landed on billboards, blackboards, birthday cakes, boxes of eggs, and the backs of her books. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
To share her love of writing, she has written two books:
- Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them)
- You Can Say That Again: 750 Redundant Phrases to Think Twice About
At Lake Forest College, she wrote one-act plays that were performed on the campus stage, learned from, and buried. She studied under Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff in the Syracuse University creative-writing program. She taught technical writing in the Engineering School at Cornell University. She has done writing of all kinds for organizations of all kinds, from the Fortune 500 to the just plain fortunate.
Marcia has written for the scholarly journal Shakespeare Quarterly, the professional journal Technical Communication, and the weekly newspaper Syracuse New Times. She used to write letters by the boxful. She has contributed posts to her daughter’s Peace Corps blog, texts to her son’s cell phone, and answers to her husband’s crossword puzzles. Her words have landed on billboards, blackboards, birthday cakes, boxes of eggs, and the backs of her books. She lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
August 17, 2013
A rare gem! I was so glad that I stumbled upon this particular ebook! Very easy to read and digest. Many helpful tips that go far beyond any classroom. I've already recommended this book to a few folks. If you need to learn how to be more concise in your writing.. be it for work or pleasure.. this book delivers many alternatives for the reader!
March 12, 2013
An entertaining and educational guide that breaks down writing tips in easy-to-digest chapters with real-world examples. Useful for any kind of writing - blogs, research papers, letters to the editor, letters to your grandmother, and Goodreads reviews. Since reading this book, I have been hearing the author's voice in my head while writing - "End that sentence with a powerful word to make it stand out to your reader!" "Don't be afraid to start a sentence with the word 'and', if it fits!" The clear and humorous writing style makes this book a pleasure to read, and makes it easy to remember the writing tips (not "rules") that will improve your writing.
August 28, 2013
Hey folks. Remember those days in school when you were forced to diagram sentences? Remember how painfully confusing the process was? Remember thinking, why on earth do I have to learn this junk?
Me neither. Why? Cuz I am a grammarian (I know someone’s cringing at my poor usage). I actually prefer to call myself a Linguist, but a grammarian I am. I love words. And since I love to read books, learning grammar came easy to me. I’ve always believed that my good grasp of grammar (like that alliteration there?) is in part the result of long hours reading great literature.
new_cover2My pal Marcia, I’m sure, would agree that reading helps grammar. Marcia has written a book I’m excited to share with you called Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them). I know the title is long, but don’t be afraid. Or rather, fear not (inside joke you’ll get if you read the chapter on Be Verbs). Marcia’s book is the grammar book your high school English teacher should have used when teaching. Marcia’s chapters make very clear the hows, whys, and whuts? of writing. The questions you’ve most often wanted answered are contained within the book. And the great news? The answers are in English (hahaha!) meaning the answers are easy to understand; Marcia writes for the flustered everyday person who doesn’t care about diagramming.
Have you ever wondered about when to use a certain pronoun? Marcia covers this topic brilliantly in her chapter: Her and I: How to Banish Painful Personal-Pronoun Pairings. As an aside, these mistakes make my blood boil. Let me give you an example of Marica’s brilliance (my comments are in parentheses):
My father is living with my wife and I.
A businessman sent this statement out to thousands of readers. Does the I hurt your ears? If it doesn’t–if the I sounds right to you, or if it sounds funny but you aren’t sure why, or if you never know whether to say I or me but you favor I because you’ve heard lots of otherwise well informed people talk that way–you’re not alone. Pronoun misuse saturates American parlance. (that’s a fancy word for the way we speak)
The trouble arises in sentences that involve two parties. No one would say, “My father is living with I.” What trips people up is the and. So get rid of it, if only for a moment. Cover the and with your mind’s hand before you speak or write (and split the sentence into two sentences).
Example:
Him/He and me/I went fishing this morning.
Cover up the and. Look at each pronoun by itself:
Him/He went fishing this morning.
Me/I went fishing this morning.
No problem. No one would say Him went fishing or Me went fishing…If it’s He went fishing and I went fishing, then its He and I went fishing. (ta da!)
I’m pretty sure Marcia is my soulmate. See how easy she made the above answer sound??
As a grammarian, linguist, reader, and editor, I often cringe at poor grammar. To be sure, we all make mistakes, but I long for the days when people wrote letters full of poetic prose and correct grammar. If you’re like me, you’ll understand. I silently correct others grammar as they speak. I mentally correct signs, pamphlets, and websites constantly. As a freelance editor, I weep because sometimes poor grammar or sentence structure can take a good story idea and turn it to mush. If you feel the same way, look at this statement here that I copied from a church sign:
To whom are you neighbor?
Is that statement correct or not? Check out the chapter Whom Ya Gonna Call? to discover the answer…
You can find more information about Marcia at her website: How To Write Everything. She’s also on Twitter @MarciaRJohnston
What are you waiting for? For what are you waiting? Read the book to find out which sentence is correct!
Me neither. Why? Cuz I am a grammarian (I know someone’s cringing at my poor usage). I actually prefer to call myself a Linguist, but a grammarian I am. I love words. And since I love to read books, learning grammar came easy to me. I’ve always believed that my good grasp of grammar (like that alliteration there?) is in part the result of long hours reading great literature.
new_cover2My pal Marcia, I’m sure, would agree that reading helps grammar. Marcia has written a book I’m excited to share with you called Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them). I know the title is long, but don’t be afraid. Or rather, fear not (inside joke you’ll get if you read the chapter on Be Verbs). Marcia’s book is the grammar book your high school English teacher should have used when teaching. Marcia’s chapters make very clear the hows, whys, and whuts? of writing. The questions you’ve most often wanted answered are contained within the book. And the great news? The answers are in English (hahaha!) meaning the answers are easy to understand; Marcia writes for the flustered everyday person who doesn’t care about diagramming.
Have you ever wondered about when to use a certain pronoun? Marcia covers this topic brilliantly in her chapter: Her and I: How to Banish Painful Personal-Pronoun Pairings. As an aside, these mistakes make my blood boil. Let me give you an example of Marica’s brilliance (my comments are in parentheses):
My father is living with my wife and I.
A businessman sent this statement out to thousands of readers. Does the I hurt your ears? If it doesn’t–if the I sounds right to you, or if it sounds funny but you aren’t sure why, or if you never know whether to say I or me but you favor I because you’ve heard lots of otherwise well informed people talk that way–you’re not alone. Pronoun misuse saturates American parlance. (that’s a fancy word for the way we speak)
The trouble arises in sentences that involve two parties. No one would say, “My father is living with I.” What trips people up is the and. So get rid of it, if only for a moment. Cover the and with your mind’s hand before you speak or write (and split the sentence into two sentences).
Example:
Him/He and me/I went fishing this morning.
Cover up the and. Look at each pronoun by itself:
Him/He went fishing this morning.
Me/I went fishing this morning.
No problem. No one would say Him went fishing or Me went fishing…If it’s He went fishing and I went fishing, then its He and I went fishing. (ta da!)
I’m pretty sure Marcia is my soulmate. See how easy she made the above answer sound??
As a grammarian, linguist, reader, and editor, I often cringe at poor grammar. To be sure, we all make mistakes, but I long for the days when people wrote letters full of poetic prose and correct grammar. If you’re like me, you’ll understand. I silently correct others grammar as they speak. I mentally correct signs, pamphlets, and websites constantly. As a freelance editor, I weep because sometimes poor grammar or sentence structure can take a good story idea and turn it to mush. If you feel the same way, look at this statement here that I copied from a church sign:
To whom are you neighbor?
Is that statement correct or not? Check out the chapter Whom Ya Gonna Call? to discover the answer…
You can find more information about Marcia at her website: How To Write Everything. She’s also on Twitter @MarciaRJohnston
What are you waiting for? For what are you waiting? Read the book to find out which sentence is correct!
July 2, 2013
This is a five star book, but my irritated bowel begged me to give it only three.
My bowels began to bloat when the author asked me to "Like" her book before I read it. For god's sake, woman, move it to the back of the book.
They (my bowels) continued to swell as I ploughed through pages of braggadocio. Why are you trying to sell me a book I have already bought?
And, who writes an entire chapter to thank everyone they have ever met? Hey! I'm having cramps already. Besides, you left out Charlie's cat.
I am not an English expert; I make all the mistakes this word wizard writes about; however, God has made me an expert on bloat and all its causes.
This book's back end also has the familiar balloon belly containing a glossary and several indexes. If a word needs defining, it should be accomplished when it is first encountered; and, the search facility renders an index useless in an ebook. I abhor printed books that require an index, but don't have it, even more than an ebook that has it, but doesn't need it.
For all my belly-aching, if you have the pluck to plough through this front load of crap and the moxie to ignore the back matter, you will find the wonderful world of words explored with wit and wisdom. You will learn to eliminate bloat from your writing, and true to the title, write more powerfully.
The author simplifies many complicated and confusing concepts of grammar and word usage, and provides easy to remember rules to bolster your writing. She crawls into and illuminates crannies I didn't even know existed.
The author provides all of her sources, even when it's Aunt Lucy, which is convenient for those who thirst for more.
Like all books that originate in blogs, this exposition is a bit disconnected at times. The switch to tongue-in-cheek in the chapter on corporate speak was a bit unsettling. And, the two chapters on writing "How-To," while superb, seemed oddly out of place. Why single out one genre to expand upon?
I highly recommend this book, but with the above misgivings.
My bowels began to bloat when the author asked me to "Like" her book before I read it. For god's sake, woman, move it to the back of the book.
They (my bowels) continued to swell as I ploughed through pages of braggadocio. Why are you trying to sell me a book I have already bought?
And, who writes an entire chapter to thank everyone they have ever met? Hey! I'm having cramps already. Besides, you left out Charlie's cat.
I am not an English expert; I make all the mistakes this word wizard writes about; however, God has made me an expert on bloat and all its causes.
This book's back end also has the familiar balloon belly containing a glossary and several indexes. If a word needs defining, it should be accomplished when it is first encountered; and, the search facility renders an index useless in an ebook. I abhor printed books that require an index, but don't have it, even more than an ebook that has it, but doesn't need it.
For all my belly-aching, if you have the pluck to plough through this front load of crap and the moxie to ignore the back matter, you will find the wonderful world of words explored with wit and wisdom. You will learn to eliminate bloat from your writing, and true to the title, write more powerfully.
The author simplifies many complicated and confusing concepts of grammar and word usage, and provides easy to remember rules to bolster your writing. She crawls into and illuminates crannies I didn't even know existed.
The author provides all of her sources, even when it's Aunt Lucy, which is convenient for those who thirst for more.
Like all books that originate in blogs, this exposition is a bit disconnected at times. The switch to tongue-in-cheek in the chapter on corporate speak was a bit unsettling. And, the two chapters on writing "How-To," while superb, seemed oddly out of place. Why single out one genre to expand upon?
I highly recommend this book, but with the above misgivings.
July 18, 2025
When I started reading "Word Up," I instantly thought of Lynne Truss' book, "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves." Like Lynne, Marcia has an infectious witty sense of humor that makes reading "Word Up" fun. Yes, even grammar, punctuation, and all of the dry aspects of it can be entertaining and actually inspiring, as Marcia cleverly shows on every page.
"Word Up" also covers a lot of ground - from the gnarly usage of "who vs. whom" to writing technical communication in the two "how-to" chapters. This is the first time I've seen useful information about writing instructions covered in only 13 pages during my 20-plus-year career as a technical writer. Usually advice on how to write "how-to" prose fills entire books.
And that's another place where Marcia's book shines. She practices what she preaches by making every word count. And even she has a lot of fun doing it.
My copy of "Word Up" has a cozy home on my bookshelf as a reference. I also refer to it when I need a little kick to resume writing again. Marcia's sense of humor gives me the jolt I need. It's better than coffee!
"Word Up" also covers a lot of ground - from the gnarly usage of "who vs. whom" to writing technical communication in the two "how-to" chapters. This is the first time I've seen useful information about writing instructions covered in only 13 pages during my 20-plus-year career as a technical writer. Usually advice on how to write "how-to" prose fills entire books.
And that's another place where Marcia's book shines. She practices what she preaches by making every word count. And even she has a lot of fun doing it.
My copy of "Word Up" has a cozy home on my bookshelf as a reference. I also refer to it when I need a little kick to resume writing again. Marcia's sense of humor gives me the jolt I need. It's better than coffee!
April 28, 2013
MY THOUGHTS
LOVED IT
This book is a true gem! I really wish I had access to something like this while I was in college and questioning my writing skills. The grammar rules you thought you knew, but somehow forgot, are brought back again with quick wit and easy to understand language. A reference guide like this will be welcome on anyone's shelf especially since Riefer Johnston uses a lot of humor to get her points across. I especially enjoyed the Whom versus Who discussion. I have always had a devil of a time getting those straight.
I have to give extra points for the index which lets you get straight to the answer for those specific questions about commas, hyphens and other nit-picky things that grammar fiends adore. There are a lot of writing manuals available but this one is easy to understand and very accessible. There are also a lot of tips to make your words more powerful and ways to captivate an audience. This book is a winner!
LOVED IT
This book is a true gem! I really wish I had access to something like this while I was in college and questioning my writing skills. The grammar rules you thought you knew, but somehow forgot, are brought back again with quick wit and easy to understand language. A reference guide like this will be welcome on anyone's shelf especially since Riefer Johnston uses a lot of humor to get her points across. I especially enjoyed the Whom versus Who discussion. I have always had a devil of a time getting those straight.
I have to give extra points for the index which lets you get straight to the answer for those specific questions about commas, hyphens and other nit-picky things that grammar fiends adore. There are a lot of writing manuals available but this one is easy to understand and very accessible. There are also a lot of tips to make your words more powerful and ways to captivate an audience. This book is a winner!
December 19, 2013
Marcia's book is a lot better than the college textbooks I read on grammar. She knows how to teach proper grammar in a way that is concise, condensed, to the point, and witty. She makes a good use of humor and the book is fun to read altogether. From run-on sentences to wordiness to the dangling modifier, Marcia covers the mistakes that writers often make, and speaks well for the English language. She also covers basics on the professional part of writing, such as knowing your audience. She also does well covering the new mediums that writing takes form in these days, such as mobile web and blogs. I highly recommend any college freshman in an intro level writing class to read this book, and encourage college professors to use it in beginning writing classes. This book is also a helpful companion for the professional writer, whether you're a technical writer or business writer.
January 17, 2015
I posted the following review on Amazon:
Uncommonly Readable
Who knew that grammar and style can be entertaining? Marcia Riefer Johnston knows. The chapters in "Word Up!" are mini-bites that tease you to read "just one more." Her examples, asides, and footnotes can be side-splittingly funny. And she discusses topics both basic and erudite without condescending to her readers.
If you care at all about communicating exactly what you mean, you need "Word Up!" And if you frequently need an antidote after a frustrating day, keep "Word Up!" on the nightstand. ;-)
*I reviewed an advance copy of "Word Up!"
Uncommonly Readable
Who knew that grammar and style can be entertaining? Marcia Riefer Johnston knows. The chapters in "Word Up!" are mini-bites that tease you to read "just one more." Her examples, asides, and footnotes can be side-splittingly funny. And she discusses topics both basic and erudite without condescending to her readers.
If you care at all about communicating exactly what you mean, you need "Word Up!" And if you frequently need an antidote after a frustrating day, keep "Word Up!" on the nightstand. ;-)
*I reviewed an advance copy of "Word Up!"
June 23, 2013
This is the most helpful book I have come across in a long time! Even though I write everyday, I learned a lot about how to write better by reading this book. I love the format. Short chapters that tackle one writing gem at a time. I love the examples. They make the modifications make sense and I remember them better. I especially like the way the author provides tips to write better but doesn't make all the grammar rules sound like they are written in concrete. As we all know, they are not.
The quotes are fun. And the author's sense of humor is a bit like my own so I think she is hilarious.
I highly recommend this book.
The quotes are fun. And the author's sense of humor is a bit like my own so I think she is hilarious.
I highly recommend this book.
June 23, 2013
I won an ARC of this book. I teach middle school language arts, and I found many useful tips in this book that I can use in my class. When middle schoolers write, they tend to make the same mistakes over and over. This book does a good job addressing some of those mistakes, and it helps clear up misconceptions and confusion about writing issues like pronoun antecedent agreement. Ms. Johnston also addresses style; I plan to use her examples of how to vary sentence and paragraph length. I will definitely keep this book in my class and refer to it during the year.
May 10, 2013
I liked the author's enthusiasm about writing and about improving writing. The book includes many excellent suggestions for making your writing more powerful. I did not agree completely with all of the suggestions, but I was completely engaged throughout. Read this book in combination with Orwell's eesay, "Politics and the English Language".
Read
June 30, 2014This is the first book I've really read on writing, and it seems like a great one to me. Didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I'm definitely going to return to it time and time again, and I think I'll be buying a paperback copy as well. Digital was fine, but there's something about the act of flipping through pages that I want back for this one.
October 26, 2013
The title may be long, but each "chapter" addresses a writing issue in 3-4 pages. The book shows writing "rules" are "guidelines" and offers up concise examples exposing the weakness of rigid thinking in the writing process. The author's use of humor and common-sense on the topic of language makes it an interesting read for writers or those who simply find words fascinating.
February 25, 2013
This is a most delightful book if you a)love the English language, b)want to become a better writer, c)need some clear tips for navigating rough grammar issues or d)want to chuckle with delight over the perils of English at times. Check it out!
April 26, 2013
This is an outstanding Grammar and Writing resource. See my blog for a full review. I would highly recommend this book http://wendyhjones-bookaholic.blogspo...
February 28, 2013
This book is about writing, by an author who writes beautifully herself. It deserves a space close by wherever you work.
October 21, 2013
Even after graduating from school, I keep this book as my go-to reference for all grammar-related questions.
May 7, 2020
In this breezy suite of blog posts, Ms. Johnston serves up a combination of style gripes, useful tips, and, on a few occasions, hints of what she calls "deeper linguistic truths." If I don't rate the book any higher than three stars, it's because the thirty-odd short pieces here pack so many ideas in such short space, leaving deeper truths hinted at and then positively retreated from, and at times equating truths with tips and gripes.
Rethinking parts of speech as nouns and verbs, modifiers, and structural words verges on profound truth. Celebrating the hyphen is not. Defending the use of "whom" is also not. A discussion on metaphor is welcome, but so short here that it seemed hardly started before it was over. A quote from Capote on perspective, light and shade in writing is the epigraph of a great essay -- one that has yet to be written, though we have a few quick notes on it here.
The strongest essays by far are: first, an inspiring pair of pieces on technical writing, "How Not to Do How-To and How To Do How-To: Watch Your Steps," and second, "Decisions, Decisions," an analysis of the author's own personal essay. The first piece infects with the author's enthusiasm for an overlooked expository form that emphasizes conditional, imperative, and -- as always with strong writing minds -- a ferocious cutting and revision process. But more importantly, she successfully conveys what's at stake with describing a procedure, or set of step-by-step instructions of any kind. ("A step that includes no action is not a step.") In the second essay, Ms. Johnston describes a handful of rhetorical devices with examples in a way that any high school student would be able to identify and use right away. ("She persisted. I relented. Eventually, Brian came around." That's an example of antithesis. Brilliant!) And in fact I will probably use both of these essays in my composition classes.
I am doing a little research on the "paragraph" as idea, of various analyses of it, and of how the writing of paragraphs has been taught. This title came up early, with its byline "How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs," but this proved to be overselling the product. There is very little on paragraph structure or tips on paragraph writing here, and no single essay devoted to just that topic. There is a note on "periodic paragraphs", but it is short, vague and introduces no other types of paragraphs from which we could distinguish the term. (Aren't all paragraphs periodic? In some semantic sense?)
Rethinking parts of speech as nouns and verbs, modifiers, and structural words verges on profound truth. Celebrating the hyphen is not. Defending the use of "whom" is also not. A discussion on metaphor is welcome, but so short here that it seemed hardly started before it was over. A quote from Capote on perspective, light and shade in writing is the epigraph of a great essay -- one that has yet to be written, though we have a few quick notes on it here.
The strongest essays by far are: first, an inspiring pair of pieces on technical writing, "How Not to Do How-To and How To Do How-To: Watch Your Steps," and second, "Decisions, Decisions," an analysis of the author's own personal essay. The first piece infects with the author's enthusiasm for an overlooked expository form that emphasizes conditional, imperative, and -- as always with strong writing minds -- a ferocious cutting and revision process. But more importantly, she successfully conveys what's at stake with describing a procedure, or set of step-by-step instructions of any kind. ("A step that includes no action is not a step.") In the second essay, Ms. Johnston describes a handful of rhetorical devices with examples in a way that any high school student would be able to identify and use right away. ("She persisted. I relented. Eventually, Brian came around." That's an example of antithesis. Brilliant!) And in fact I will probably use both of these essays in my composition classes.
I am doing a little research on the "paragraph" as idea, of various analyses of it, and of how the writing of paragraphs has been taught. This title came up early, with its byline "How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs," but this proved to be overselling the product. There is very little on paragraph structure or tips on paragraph writing here, and no single essay devoted to just that topic. There is a note on "periodic paragraphs", but it is short, vague and introduces no other types of paragraphs from which we could distinguish the term. (Aren't all paragraphs periodic? In some semantic sense?)
September 21, 2020
Fantastic. My only criticism relates to the evolution of language. Since Johnston's book debuted, the singular "them" gained traction with more and more people defining their pronouns. Her section about it still applies. I just want to read her sincere response about the importance of recognizing the LGBTQ community through language, coupled with a witty remark about pronouns becoming frontpage news.
August 7, 2019
I happened to stumble upon this book at a nearby local bookshop, just when I was planning to get back to blogging. The first two chapters were fun to go through, and not at all theoretical, thankfully. So I bought it.
It's a fun read! Gives you a framework and line of thought to work on your writing.
July 20, 2017
A fresh take on writing. I know understand when to use "whom" and picked up small cues to spice.up my writing.
Word Up! is written in an easy digestable language, but has some heavyweight tips.
Highlly recommended.
Word Up! is written in an easy digestable language, but has some heavyweight tips.
Highlly recommended.
March 17, 2018
Entertaining, concise, inspiring, and, above all, helpful. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to hone or polish their writing.
June 30, 2013
Full disclosure: I won a (signed!) copy of this book from First Reads.
I entered the giveaway for this book thinking of my students. Our new standards demand writing, and then some more writing, and then after that, y'know, writing about what they wrote, so I've been on the lookout for new writing resources. This book is clever, well-written, and clear.
It's not quite what I was looking for.
Let me explain. The book is divided into three main sections (minus the introductory front matter and the glossary/indices). The first focuses on diction and specific issues surrounding it: overuse of linking verbs, prevalence and uselessness of jargon, misplacement of adverbs, misuse and abuse of pronouns, utility of hyphens, culling of unnecessary words, and fluidity of parts of speech. The second turns more to strengthening sentences and paragraphs: emphasis, definitions, metaphors, commas, run-ons, clarity, contrast, depth, readability, how-to's, and sound. The third presents tips for writing as a whole: revision, branding, knowing your audience, and a final chapter that brings together all the previous issues by looking at a sample essay.
Some of this will work well for my classes - I'm definitely stealing the run-ons chapter, pretty much in its entirety. I've already come up with ways I want to use the sample essay to get my kids to articulate their process. A link to exercises for teachers and students is provided at the front, and I'm excited to see what's available.
That said, some of these chapters were clearly for an audience of not-me. It's not the book's fault (nor the author's!) that I could not care less about making my content readable for today's technology, creating a cogent how-to, or promoting a brand for my authorial voice. These chapters present their content well - it's just not content that applies to my reason for reading the book.
This is still the most entertaining style guide since Strunk and White (Oh, Strunk and White, you paragons of snark and subtle insult...), even if I persist in using linking verbs. If you're looking for the very basics, this is probably not comprehensive enough for you. If you're looking to refine and improve what you already know, particularly if you are hoping to break in to writing as a career, this is a great investment. It includes many, many footnotes of additional resources.
I entered the giveaway for this book thinking of my students. Our new standards demand writing, and then some more writing, and then after that, y'know, writing about what they wrote, so I've been on the lookout for new writing resources. This book is clever, well-written, and clear.
It's not quite what I was looking for.
Let me explain. The book is divided into three main sections (minus the introductory front matter and the glossary/indices). The first focuses on diction and specific issues surrounding it: overuse of linking verbs, prevalence and uselessness of jargon, misplacement of adverbs, misuse and abuse of pronouns, utility of hyphens, culling of unnecessary words, and fluidity of parts of speech. The second turns more to strengthening sentences and paragraphs: emphasis, definitions, metaphors, commas, run-ons, clarity, contrast, depth, readability, how-to's, and sound. The third presents tips for writing as a whole: revision, branding, knowing your audience, and a final chapter that brings together all the previous issues by looking at a sample essay.
Some of this will work well for my classes - I'm definitely stealing the run-ons chapter, pretty much in its entirety. I've already come up with ways I want to use the sample essay to get my kids to articulate their process. A link to exercises for teachers and students is provided at the front, and I'm excited to see what's available.
That said, some of these chapters were clearly for an audience of not-me. It's not the book's fault (nor the author's!) that I could not care less about making my content readable for today's technology, creating a cogent how-to, or promoting a brand for my authorial voice. These chapters present their content well - it's just not content that applies to my reason for reading the book.
This is still the most entertaining style guide since Strunk and White (Oh, Strunk and White, you paragons of snark and subtle insult...), even if I persist in using linking verbs. If you're looking for the very basics, this is probably not comprehensive enough for you. If you're looking to refine and improve what you already know, particularly if you are hoping to break in to writing as a career, this is a great investment. It includes many, many footnotes of additional resources.
February 13, 2014
It's an odd collection of seemingly unrelated essays on writing. All they have in common is that they're somehow advice on how to write better. Some of it is solid advice that makes a lot of sense, some of it feels more like passionate personal ramblings that have little practical use. What was lacking, was a theme throughout the book, something that would have connected all these essays into one overall message. Now it felt often random, useful as some of the advice was. That being said, there are nuggets of practical wisdom on writing in there and I definitely learned some things. You just have to weed through a lot of verbal diarrhea to get there.
January 2, 2015
Marcia Riefer Johnston has truly written a handbook for budding authors and writers of all types (with a bit of humor tossed in). You will learn how to turn your writings into powerful sentences and paragraphs...just as she stated in her title. A few of the tips I already knew but she clarifies the use of hyphens, using metaphors to make your writing interesting, and to quote the author: "You have a brand because no one else writes like you do." How true is that? We all how our own writing style but the author's tips and tools help us to refine that style. I have referred to numerous chapters over the past month with my own writings. Great reference tool.
March 26, 2016
This is a great grammar guide. It's a well written piece that's informative as well as eye-opening.
It's also an invaluable tool for brushing up the old grammar skills. I didn't realize how much I have forgotten from school until I read this book.
It's an insightful and clever book. I recommend it to anyone really interested in improving their grammatical skills.
It's also an invaluable tool for brushing up the old grammar skills. I didn't realize how much I have forgotten from school until I read this book.
It's an insightful and clever book. I recommend it to anyone really interested in improving their grammatical skills.
May 24, 2016
I enjoyed reading this book. This book will be on my list of language references / reckoners. Sections about hyphens, compound words, prepositions are useful. I'm sure I will reach out for this book on a regular basis.
December 28, 2013
Beautifully written, but I do wish it was just a bit longer and more all inclusive.
January 13, 2016
This one is 3.5 stars. Based on a collection of blogposts. Some good tips and a useful Glossary.
Want to read
November 4, 2017i want to read the book
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