The Elements of Active Prose

by Tahlia Newland

Anyone studying writing will have heard the advice to ‘show, don’t tell,’ but what does that really mean? And how do you actually do it? Many books lay out the broad strokes of writing fiction—characters, plot, pacing, dialogue and so on—but they rarely get into the word-by-word, sentence-by-sentence explanations of how to write good prose. This book rectifies this imbalance. It examines how many writers use effective, striking words and phrases when constructing sentences, and offers pithy tips for making your prose as exciting and engaging as possible. It also includes great tips on how to self-edit, along with excellent advice on working with editors, applying ‘rules’ and dealing with criticism.

Drawing on her considerable experience as a line editor and as a reviewer for the Awesome Indies, the author explains the influence various word usages have on the reader’s experience and points out the traps to avoid if you want your writing to look professional.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 2, 2015

About the author

Tahlia Newland is a multi-passionate artist, author and editor. She is the author of seven magical-realism novels, plus books on writing, meditation, and recovering from spiritual abuse in Tibetan Buddhism. She works as an editor and publisher for Alkira Publishing, and in her spare time, she creates AI art or makes masks or decorates hats, which she sells as TahliasArtAndCraft on Etsy.

On her blog and social media, she writes on navigating this crazy world as a neurodivergent contemplative with a passion for nature, story and art. She animates some of her AI imagery, turns it into music videos, and posts it on her Psychemagination: Tahlia Dreaming YouTube Channel.

Reviews

[Angela Blount · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a terrific self-editing resource for writers of every genre.

It’s been a long time since a craft guide has left such a prose-altering impression on me. It isn't difficult to agree with the author’s early assertion: “Good writing is more than good grammar.” But getting my head around what “good writing” looks and feels like has always been something of a nebulous endeavor. Is there a difference between passive writing and passive voice? How can I avoid using ‘saw,’ ‘heard,’ ‘felt,’ and ‘knew?’ Is telling rather than showing always a no-no?

“At the developmental and line editing stages, editing is as much an art as it is a skill.”

Newland draws on her considerable experience as an author, book reviewer, and line editor--offering readers a comprehensive breakdown of the differences between active and passive prose. Dodging legalism, she opens by encouraging readers to see her advice as guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules, along with challenging them to reexamine their own previously held assumptions. The book is broken up into dozens of concise sections that are all relevant to the prose-tightening process. Newland’s voice is competent and instructive without being dry, and she supports her points with clear illustrations. She frequently utilizes examples from her own past writing projects—which I found both brave and charmingly self-deprecating.

While active prose is the focal point, the book contains an extensive and satisfying diversity in related editing topics. There were a number of genuine aha-moments for this reader. Some principles finally “clicked,” while other concepts were—at the very least—shown from a fresh vantage point. I particularly appreciated the metaphor the author employed to explain why metaphors shouldn't be overused: “It’s like placing a lot of artworks in close proximity without frames to set them off; you can’t see them properly and your enjoyment of them is compromised.”

Note: It may help to know up-front that the author is Australian, so readers can expect her spellings to reflect this fact. (Although, if something like that fazes you, I can recommend a glut of British literature to help you get over it. ;) ) She actually does offer a section dedicated to the variances in spelling and word choices between British and American English—which was one of the better and impartial explanations I’ve ever come across.

The one down side to this book?
I don’t personally care for the cover—the anthropomorphically animated letters struck me as children’s book-like. I’m afraid the art choice doesn't quite do justice to the invaluable content of this guide.

“The writer who breeds more words than he needs, makes reading a chore for the reader who reads.” --Dr Seuss.

[Kevin Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the style of this book: concise, punchy, clearly written. I was lucky enough to read an advance copy and have already recommended it to writer friends. As a writer and a proofreader myself, I've picked up a lot of handy hints on how to further improve my own writing and help others with theirs. This is a very useful manual containing lots of helpful advice and examples from a seasoned writer and line editor.

[Jeannie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book for writers whether a beginning writer or a published one. We can always refresh what we might or might not know. This book is a winner for authors. I loved it and keep referring to it as I write my true stories. Thanks Tahlia for thinking of us and taking time to help us.
Jeannie Walker (Award-Winning Author)

[Charles Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a writer who wants to take your work to the next level of professionalism and excellence, there are three things you really must do. First is reading as much fine prose as your time schedule allows. Second is to write, rewrite, and write some more. The third, and easiest, thing to do—in conjunction with the first two—is to get a copy of Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine by noted author and editor Tahlia Newland.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my review, and now I’m waiting for it to come out in paperback so that I can buy a desk copy to keep near my computer as I write. Newland, an accomplished author and professional editor, peels away the mystery of prose writing. She begins by stating emphatically that this is NOT a book of rules; it’s a compendium of guidelines based upon her years as a writer and editor. But, and here I’ll paraphrase her, these are guidelines that have stood the test of time, and while they can be ignored, when it’s appropriate to do so, there are risks attendant upon doing so.
She takes the reader through the writing process in easily digestible chunks, covering such topics as the difference between active voice and active prose, how to write effective dialogue and descriptions, and how to choose the most effective point of view for your story.
This, though, is more than just a book about how to write more effectively. She also includes sections on how to effectively self-edit, and how to review the work of others; distinguishing, for instance, the difference between copy editing and line editing—something that I, as a frequent book reviewer, have often struggled with.
Assuming you’re already proficient in grammar and spelling, and you are familiar with the topic about which you wish to write, this is the most important reference book you could have in your writer’s library.

[miahuang · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5/5

read this for a creative writing class. this book could be summarized in a simple sentence: show don't tell. But instead, the author decided to write a whole book on it. Honestly, this should've been just an essay at most. The examples given in the book were just not that good in general (mainly just the author plugging her own works as the writing samples lol)

[Peter Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

My advice to all first time novelists is to do your intial draft and then buy this book. It changed the way I started my edits and the ideas and concepts taught me a great deal about writing, particularly as I was moving from being a non fiction author to a fiction writer. I needed the freedom to be creative in the first cut of the manuscript, but then to tighten it up from what Tahlia Newland offers in this book, changed it so much for the better.

[C.S.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

I recommend getting this book alongside other editing books to help your self-editing skills. I periodically read this to try to decrease my mistakes as I go along. The book condenses the art of editing into simple concepts and gives plenty of examples.

[Lucy Appadoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got some good tips from this book related to publishing a book in general. Some great tips on how to improve your writing, grammar, the use of editors, showing rather than telling, and all aspects of creating your masterpiece. Well worth the read for beginners and a bit of a refresher for more established writers.

[Val Tobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and a great reference for writers, especially beginning writers. Contains a lot of tips I wish I'd known when I was starting out.

[Rogue Blackwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every writer should read this! This is a helpful guide to get you started on self-edits and also gives a clear view on what kind of editor to hire. Your writing will improve if you follow this!

[Richard Bunning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay- so you have your first ever completed fiction book. You are not alone, another thousand have been written today. So, how are you going to add enough to your great story to turn it into something that readers will think is great?
A good idea is to sit down with the 'Elements of Active Prose' for an hour, before you start your first personal edit.
Ten more private edits, then read again. You will hopefully find that you have absorbed at least a little from that hour of advice.
Of course, you could read Newland's guide first. But most of us won't, I wouldn't, I was born knowing how to write. Few of you will be quite as arrogant as I tend to be, but I'm sure you get the picture.
There isn't a wrong way to write, but there is often a better way.
Do I follow all the rules? Not a chance. Will you? I don't know, that's not the point. The point is to learn to sit outside your work looking in, seeing where you could do things just slightly better.
There are no rules though are there?
True, but you do want to be read don't you?
You may well be thinking, there's a self-publishing nincompoop that probably writes total rubbish badly. How dare he suggest I read about how to write?
Well, certainly some readers do have that opinion about my writing- so think how bad I'd be without reminding myself from time to time as to how I might be able to do better.
This is a useful addition to most new writers' armoury and for any old dogs that are slow to learn.

[Mary Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Elements of Active Prose is a concise guide for writers of fiction. The author offers concrete and practical tips for making one's prose style more effective and includes advices on how to work with editors and make productive use of criticism. Beginning writers need the information in this book, and more experienced writers will find valuable pointers about craftsmanship and the benefits of a positive attitude.

[Tabitha Vohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a super helpful guide to understanding the basics of fiction writing, self-editing, and writing a professional review. Easy to use checklists are a plus. I'll be using them in the future☺ Awesome, informative research that I thank Tahlia for sharing.

[Lauren (Shakespeare & Whisky) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid craft book that primarily explores line editing.