Spellbinding Sentences: A Writer's Guide to Achieving Excellence and Captivating Readers

by Barbara Baig

Elevate Your Writing from So-So to Spectacular
 
Great writing requires more than an original idea, compelling characters, or a scintillating plot. An author needs all of these to be successful, but writing—and writing well—also demands an entirely different skill set.

Spellbinding Sentences arms you with the tools you need to master the power of the English language. In this book, you’ll learn the different qualities of words and the many ways those words can be combined to create sentences that hook readers. You'll emulate sentences from your favorite writers, practice professional techniques, and develop your skills one step at a time. The result?  Your ability to craft excellent sentences will become second nature—and those sentences will hold your readers spellbound, page after page.
 
“Get this book and profit from it!”—Ursula K. Le Guin

 “Barbara Baig’s Spellbinding Sentences is a tribute to the pleasure and vitality of the English language. Never prescriptive and always clear, this enlightening book is sure to help all those wishing to add grace and strength to their writing.” —Jane Brox, award-winning author of Brilliant: The Evolution of Artificial Light, one of TIME magazine’s top ten nonfiction books of 2010

“Spellbinding Sentencesis sophisticated and down-to-earth at the same time. Barbara Baig has distilled decades of experience into this wise book.” —Edward Dolnick, New York Times best-selling author of The Rescue Artist: A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a Missing Masterpiece

http://www.barbarabaig.com/works.htm

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference, Crafts, Self Help, Language

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 10, 2015

About the author

I am a writer who is passionate about teaching writing--something I've done for thirty years. I started out working with undergraduates and graduate students (I created the popular Writing Workshops at Harvard Divinity School), then moved on to teaching working adults and aspiring creative writers.I now teach in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Lesley University.

My teaching journey has been focused on the questions: What makes someone a good writer? How do I help aspiring writers to improve? After much thought, I arrived at the idea that writers need to practice their skills, just like athletes and musicians. I've developed a teaching approach that is entirely skills-based, and grounded in the findings of scientific researchers in the field of expertise studies, such as Dr. K. Anders Ericsson.

Although I know that writing is a wonderful tool for self-exploration, I'm more interested in writing designed to be read by others--because that's when we need all the skills we can develop. To reach other people with our words, we need to be able to come up with and develop ideas and material, and we also need to have excellent craft skills. I cover the first set of skills in How To Be a Writer, the second in Spellbinding Sentences.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you're writing for fun or for work, this book is a great tool for making your words matter.

The book provides an overview of parts of speech and how to use them, slowly teaching the reader to build more and more complex sentences. There are also words of wisdom about authorship, like how we should always strive to be beginners, and that writers must be intentional with the words they're publishing for the world to read.

From exercises like creating a word hoard to placing well-worded noun clusters, this book was an excellent read for authors who want to improve their voice with refined diction and syntax!
– Megan K.

[Raimey Gallant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This creative writers' tool is a guide to understanding diction and syntax for flow, clarity, drama, and rhythm. The grammar sections are more than a refresher, because they illuminate style choices (including rule breaking) using examples from literature. I especially loved the section about word hoarding.

[Sean S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up from the library, having spent no time looking into books of this nature. I have to say I am pleasantly surprised. I certainly did not spend the requisite time doing the practices, but I can see how repetitive writing with goals in mind can hone and sharpen the instrument. Unfortunately, I did not find the time (or make the time) to write as much as a I hoped, but I did enjoy the first third and last third of the book. The middle of the book felt more academic in nature, reviewing the terminology and sentence structure. Since I did not practice much during this part, it was a section to be endured, but I definitely see the value.

This would be a better book to own than to borrow, to be referred to when practicing writing and working on an actual project. For me, it opened my mind's eye to reading slower, digesting the structure and goal of what I am reading, and inspire me to try my hand at writing a bit more often.

[Joanne McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first grasped the benefits of breaking down a lesson into steps when I needed a new approach to earning the trust of Molly, our rescued border collie.
At first, I felt overwhelmed and incompetent. Then I learned from books how to help my dog cope with her anxiety through calming signals. Then I learn to use positive reinforcement and a clicker to teach her how to understand directions. Step by step we learn to understand each other.
Regardless of this success, it never occurred to me that I could apply the same basic method to improve my writing.
Spellbinding Sentences shows you how to focus on smaller, less scary steps. It teaches you the advantage of deliberate practices. It also teaches how to read as a writer.
Writing reviews to show my appreciation for a great book is one of my practices.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book ten stars I would. This book has been the most uplifting, helpful book I’ve read about the craft of writing. I got to a point with my writing where I felt like I’d reached the limit of how much I could improve without assistance and every book I’ve found on writing never focused how I could go about improving my sentences. How to write Spell Binding sentences helped improve my sentence craft, understand grammar better than ever before, express my ideas and thoughts more clearly, and gave me new confidence in my ability to learn and improve my writing. If you are like me and found yourself crying every time you attempted to revise your writing or thought, I can’t be a writer, I wasn’t even in a good student in school, this book is for you. I hope you discover or rediscover your love for learning as well. You’re my hero Barbara Baig

[Daniel Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Few books on writing are must-reads. Baig's book is an instant classic, guiding you through a lifetime of practice as a writer. My all-time favourite author Bill Bryson wrote a perfectly-formed 217-word sentence. I envied his talent. My paragraphs average 75 words. Thanks to Baig, I now know how Bryson constructed his sentence. What's more, I know how to do the same. You've gotta read this book if you want to become a great writer.

[Jack Chaucer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful book in helping writers translate what's in their imagination for readers to understand and be moved by, one gripping sentence at a time. I got it from the library, but I just might have to buy it. I'll be much more aware of what I'm creating and how I'm doing it going forward. I highly recommend it to writers and even readers who might be interested in how their favorite writers create such magic with their words.

[James Walter Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book on writing by Barbara Baig. Two things that I enjoyed the most were the exercises on writing sentence kernels and the directional branching of sentences. This is one of those books that if you do the exercises regardless of how much you think you already know, you'll improve and be more intentional in your writing.

[Skye Griffith · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for writers wanting to ratchet up their relationship with and use of language in their writing. Highly recommended for writers determined to move away from cliches and become more inventive.

[Sacha Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

I preferred the first half of this book as it was more story related and discussing tools and principles. The second half was very detailed in syntax and names for grammar/punctuation terms which I found a little much.

[Daniel]

This has been sidelined for a while, so tossing it on the partial shelf. Who knows if I'll come back to it.

This gets points for having sections on coherence, cohesion, and rhythm, basically what convinced me to pick it up, but they're underwhelming.

My main problem though is the style. It's kind of annoying. There's an inevitable sort of dumbing down in popular grammar type books that's to be expected as most people understand their native language intuitively rather than through rules, and have forgotten much of the terminology they learned in school to discuss it. That's fine. But Baig writes as if her audience is a bunch of hamsters who've just come from the science lab, where they had human language unit implanted ten minutes ago and have never actually used language before in their lives.

[Jenn Leiker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word: Essential

I was fortunate enough to take Barbara's course (by the same name) in the first semester of my MFA at Lesley, back in 2016. I'm so glad I did! This material--and Barbara's patient and passionate guidance--so influenced my writing that I find myself recommending Spellbinding Sentences to all my fellow wayfarers on this journey. I return to it often. Thank you, Barbara, for your contribution to the craft discussion; your work continues to ripple outward.

[Samantha Strong]

DNF 25% - I've always had a large vocabulary, and the "musicality" of language seems to come naturally to me, so this was boring. I tried, I really did, but I couldn't get through this. None of the exercises interested me, or I'm already doing them. (Yay dictionary.com's word of the day!)

[Shalene · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I really enjoyed the beginning of this, and I thought plenty of exercises were fun and helpful to get my word brain going again. I also enjoyed the examples. It just didn't exactly fulfill my expectations, in the end.

[Chrissy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely fantastic resource for writers of all levels!

[Riley Trist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate grammar but I loved this book! Bookmarking all the writing practices to go back to again and again.

[Roger James Delavera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the part on Deliberate Practice. It's perhaps an offshoot of Deep Work which I am immediately familiar with.

[Boostamonte Halvorsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for everyone really. But for aspiring writers, this book is really too good to pass up. It literally teaches you more about writing than 4 years at college in an English major. Don't get me wrong, the English degree teaches you a lot more about English than this book does, but on a practical level this book does more for a writer than anything else.

I loved that you can go at this book in any way you want. There is now real order that needs to be followed, so if the one lesson is too easy, you can skip it, you can even just focus one one thing if you want. Identify your weakness and learn how to actually practice getting better at it. I think that is the real diamond in this book--learning how to practice the skills you need. Writing isn't taught like a sport or an instrument, but it is just as crucial to learn how to do it in that way. Schools really miss that point.

Read this book if you want to learn how to write better sentences.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started this book over a year ago and stopped about halfway when I got bored in the verbs section, but after picking it up again and not pressuring myself to do every exercise, I found it to be an excellent tool and reference material. Some sections were less useful for me because they were directed at writers just starting out, but overall it does a great job of explaining how to write and improve sentences, from grammar to syntax and on, and it does a great job of explaining these concepts in a way that makes them easy to grasp. I’d recommend it in particular to beginning writers but I think it would be useful for any writer looking to practice their sentence crafting. It’s also a book where you could easily just read certain sections and focus on the exercises that are useful for you.

[W · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main thread of this book goes from Diction ==> Parts of Speech ==> Phrases ==> Sentences.

Along the way there are numerous asides and exercises and plenty of examples. While it’s a slow start, this book is very useful for developing a vocabulary of sentence craft, which will then allow you to break down and analyze what you/others are doing with their sentences.

By the end of it, I was sold. It would be hard to read this without gaining a more thorough understanding of what exactly great writers are doing when they craft beautiful sentences.

This book will give you that vocabulary. But, the actual craft of sentences—that is a lifelong endeavor.

“It is only by working, by writing, by practicing the art long and regularly that a writer develops his ear, i.e., that sense which eventually enables a writer to hear where the power of words lies…”

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won't say I feel instantly like a better writer, but Baig definitely pointed me in the right direction. Not only does she go through the different parts of sentences, but she has meaningful and frequent practice exercises for you to hone your own understanding, which is why it took me so long to finish this book. She also included numerous examples from various authors to nail down the concepts. I have to admit that the names of all the grammatical pieces, like gerund and present participle and dangling modifier, left me cross-eyed at times. I do, however, understand why. How can you teach someone to construct a sentence if that writer doesn't know the parts you're suggesting he use? Overall, quite useless. I'll be leaving this one on my desk within reach.

[Calvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply the best book on writing prose. Before this book, I did not look forward to writing craft -- content, idea, structure, tension, character, yes, those are fun -- but not prose. It's just words and syntax -- boring.

Not so, any more. Now it's fun to sit down and just compose an amazing sentence -- generate the right type of words, pick the most effective ones, arrange them into strong phrases, rearrange the phrases for maximum effect and rhythm.

Now I just have to go back and work through each one of the practices again.

Such a clear, effective tool for improving your prose -- and enjoying the process!

[Kait Armada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a few parts to be interesting and helpful. The author places importance on getting your idea across correctly. She focuses on building a large word hoard and consistently living in your craft. In terms of sentence construction, you start with the basic sentence and build off the idea to see the different ways one thought can be written or emphasized. It covers a little on sentence rhythms which I believe are important. Though not super helpful I did find it a nice refresher. Essentially I walked away feeling like a better writer then I believed I was.

[Chandrima Das · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful, practical course in the art of the sentence. The exercises slow down your writing mind and force you to fully consider the effect of your words, kernels, phrases and sentences on the reader. This is not a one-time read-through or a course in the philosophy of writing. The exercises here are meant to incite regular practice and over time, mindfulness in writing. If applied, this book has a quiet power to make you more aware of how and, more importantly, why YOU write (and not just why other, more famous writers write).

[K. M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite craft book. I Found the writing dry and superfluous, plus I already do most of the exercises she mentioned i.e. Keep a notebook to collect words, freewriting, dictation and listening back to catch rhyme. If your new to writing, then I can see how it would be helpful, but if your a word lover or have been writing for a while, you might want to pass.

[Lily Kilburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Just the type of instruction I have been searching for and needed for a long time.

Great book. Combines lecture with practice. This book is a necessity in a serious writer's tool kit. Through practice one gains mastery.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book brings a lot to the table as it helps you learn your own voice through excellent exercises. Some chapters you may not grasp yet, and that is okay. Keep moving forward and read. It will come. In the end you will realize what you have just learned will be invaluable in you becoming an amazing author. I wish I found this book years ago.

[Lee Cart · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Spellbinding Sentences, Barbara Baig offers writers a new set of tools to improve their writing. She understands that the only way to use words precisely is to know them intimately and she helps readers gain the necessary skills through practical exercises. Free writing, vocabulary building, and the study of the dictionary and thesaurus are just a few of the many methods she employs to help readers broaden their language skills. She analyzes the quality of words, whether they are formal or informal, generic or specific, or abstract or concrete, and the subtle differences found in the connotations of synonyms. Sensory details are explored at length before Baig offers an extensive section on grammar. This is more than a refresher course for those who’ve forgotten the difference between a transitive and intransitive verb. Baig delves deeply into each part of speech and shows how they work separately and together as building blocks toward simple and complex sentences. Her analysis is similar to diagramming sentences, but without the pictorial framework which was always a part of that old-school task. Charts illustrating sentence patterns help break down the complexity of sentence construction, making it feel simple to plug in nouns, verbs, etc. to create compelling sentences full of modifiers or independent clauses. The author also offers numerous examples to illustrate her points. Baig’s methods are straightforward, practical, and highly achievable as long as one is ready to sit down and work. The book is not a quick read, but one that should be visited on a regular basis, like a school course, with each exercise building on the previous one. As Baig writes, “Mastery of diction and syntax enables you to wield a kind of magical power over the minds of your readers.” For those willing to set aside time to proceed through each task, the rewards will be found in controlling that magical power with ease and finesse.

[Daniil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only about 20% into the book, yet I can comfortably give it a 5 star rating.

I have been recommended this book by Dr. K. Anders Ericsson as an application of deliberate practice to the craft of writing. The book does just that.

It's not a quick read, rather a laborious note-taking journey that outline an even more tideous approach to learning how to write. And yet that is exactly what I was looking for.

In my life I have went from being a beginner to borderline professional in a less prestigious craft - gaming. The practice that took me there was anything but playing with friends for fun. It was long, gruelling repetition of the same tasks over and over, assessing my plays, watching them back and doing it again and again. It wasn't until I read 'Peak' by Dr. Anders, that I'd realized the application of that practice. Deliberate practice.

It is my belief that every skill (and writing is no exception), has to be trained from the bottom up. And from the very get-go of my decision to improve my writing, I was looking for this book.

If you are willing to practice and put in the hours, do it efficiently and grab a copy of this book. You won't regret it.

[Jennifer Worrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Baig teaches you some interesting things about sentence structure, then gives multiple practices and prompts to make your words "sing". (And yes, there is a chapter on exactly that: "Writing in Rhythm".) And if you're bad at diagramming and can't remember for the life of you what a predicate or adverbial phrase is, this is like all of grade school and high school English squashed into a few chapters. (I still can't wrap my head around those definitions but it's not for lack of trying.) This is a good one to look into if you're maybe not the best at English; it teaches you all the different things you can do with a few simple words.