What do you think?
Rate this book
The Elements of Writing: The Only Writing Guide You Will Ever Need
"Without peer." "Trust me -- it works." "Just the right blend of rigor, encouragement, and fun." "Both useful and a pleasure." "A bounty of usable information."
Those are just a handful of raves for The Big Book of Writing (previously published as The Writing Code), the only comprehensive system for writing well.
Building on the latest research on learning and the brain, The Big Book offers a complete apprenticeship on writing. Every skill in this book has been tested in college and high school classrooms, business and nonprofit seminars, and coaching sessions with authors.
People in all fields -- high school, higher education, journalism and publishing, business and government -- have discovered the power of this unique system.
Whether you're in business, school, government or nonprofit agencies, or journalism/blogging or publishing, The Big Book offers a powerful to improve your writing right away.
Developed by author and teacher Charles Euchner, The Big Book of Writing draws lessons from the masters to show the skills and "tricks of the trade" you need to write with clarity and power. The Big Book also uses the latest research on learning and the brain to help you manage the creative process.
Euchner is the author or editor of ten books, most recently the acclaimed "Nobody Turn Me Around:" A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington" (Beacon Press, 2010). Euchner has also written a trilogy of the world of modern sports ("Playing the Field," "The Last Nine Innings," and "Little League, Big Dreams"), studies of grassroots politics ("Urban Policy Reconsidered," with Steve McGovern, and "Extraordinary Politics"), and works on regional policy and planning (the two-part "Governing Greater Boston" series).
Euchner has taught or directed research institutes at Harvard. Yale, Holy Cross, and St. Mary's. He also directed Boston's comprehensive planning process and served as a staff writer for Education Week. He earned his B.A. at Vanderbilt and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins.
For more information about writing seminars, consulting, and coaching, call (203) 645-6112 or email charlie@thewritingcodesystem.com.
Those are just a handful of raves for The Big Book of Writing (previously published as The Writing Code), the only comprehensive system for writing well.
Building on the latest research on learning and the brain, The Big Book offers a complete apprenticeship on writing. Every skill in this book has been tested in college and high school classrooms, business and nonprofit seminars, and coaching sessions with authors.
People in all fields -- high school, higher education, journalism and publishing, business and government -- have discovered the power of this unique system.
Whether you're in business, school, government or nonprofit agencies, or journalism/blogging or publishing, The Big Book offers a powerful to improve your writing right away.
Developed by author and teacher Charles Euchner, The Big Book of Writing draws lessons from the masters to show the skills and "tricks of the trade" you need to write with clarity and power. The Big Book also uses the latest research on learning and the brain to help you manage the creative process.
Euchner is the author or editor of ten books, most recently the acclaimed "Nobody Turn Me Around:" A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington" (Beacon Press, 2010). Euchner has also written a trilogy of the world of modern sports ("Playing the Field," "The Last Nine Innings," and "Little League, Big Dreams"), studies of grassroots politics ("Urban Policy Reconsidered," with Steve McGovern, and "Extraordinary Politics"), and works on regional policy and planning (the two-part "Governing Greater Boston" series).
Euchner has taught or directed research institutes at Harvard. Yale, Holy Cross, and St. Mary's. He also directed Boston's comprehensive planning process and served as a staff writer for Education Week. He earned his B.A. at Vanderbilt and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins.
For more information about writing seminars, consulting, and coaching, call (203) 645-6112 or email charlie@thewritingcodesystem.com.
- GenresWriting
382 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2010
127 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Charles Euchner
72 books15 followersCharles Euchner is the author or editor of eight books. He teaches writing at Yale University and was the founding executive director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at Harvard University.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 30, 2014
Good multi-purpose writing skills desk reference
Several of Charles Euchner's smaller 'writing problem' books caught my eye and in my perpetual cheapskate quest to get the most for my money, I noticed this book combines many of his smaller books and bought the paperback version of this one.
I will say, I bought this because I wanted two of the sub-texts, but the other information that came with this was also exceptionally helpful. If you are looking to invest in a single, comprehensive writing 'reference' book and don't want to invest in the usual Writer's Digest stuff, keep this reference book in mind as a viable contender. The definitions of each 'problem' were clear, the 'why this is bad/this is good' examples were readily understandable, and then the suggestions of how to spot/fix writing bugs were genuinely helpful.
I write professionally, both fiction and non-fiction. I am a busy person. I don't have a lot of time to listen to chest-pounding 'this is how to get an agent' drivel. Nor do I want to read the Writer's Digest equivalent of Atlas Shrugged to find the answer to a simple problem (such as one of my beta-readers flagged something and I want to look it up). This book is organized so you can spot the issue and cut to the chase to fix it.
Some of the information was entry-level, but a lot of the stuff was also helpful to a professional commercial writer who wants to add that 'MBA polish.'
Several of Charles Euchner's smaller 'writing problem' books caught my eye and in my perpetual cheapskate quest to get the most for my money, I noticed this book combines many of his smaller books and bought the paperback version of this one.
I will say, I bought this because I wanted two of the sub-texts, but the other information that came with this was also exceptionally helpful. If you are looking to invest in a single, comprehensive writing 'reference' book and don't want to invest in the usual Writer's Digest stuff, keep this reference book in mind as a viable contender. The definitions of each 'problem' were clear, the 'why this is bad/this is good' examples were readily understandable, and then the suggestions of how to spot/fix writing bugs were genuinely helpful.
I write professionally, both fiction and non-fiction. I am a busy person. I don't have a lot of time to listen to chest-pounding 'this is how to get an agent' drivel. Nor do I want to read the Writer's Digest equivalent of Atlas Shrugged to find the answer to a simple problem (such as one of my beta-readers flagged something and I want to look it up). This book is organized so you can spot the issue and cut to the chase to fix it.
Some of the information was entry-level, but a lot of the stuff was also helpful to a professional commercial writer who wants to add that 'MBA polish.'
May 21, 2023
Pretty good overall, very comprehensive
It certainly fulfills the promise of being a “complete how-to guide to writing.”
If you’ve read a lot of other books about writing, this one will repeat many concepts you’re likely already familiar with, but will offer plenty of fresh and interesting ones as well.
There are a semi-absurd quantity of spelling/grammar errors for a “how-to” book about writing, but the content is still sound.
It also seems to veer a little off-course in the latter 3rd of the book. It becomes less about writing and more about analyzing, which is still good for certain types of writing, but fiction writers will lose interest.
Still a great resource overall that I’m glad to have read.
It certainly fulfills the promise of being a “complete how-to guide to writing.”
If you’ve read a lot of other books about writing, this one will repeat many concepts you’re likely already familiar with, but will offer plenty of fresh and interesting ones as well.
There are a semi-absurd quantity of spelling/grammar errors for a “how-to” book about writing, but the content is still sound.
It also seems to veer a little off-course in the latter 3rd of the book. It becomes less about writing and more about analyzing, which is still good for certain types of writing, but fiction writers will lose interest.
Still a great resource overall that I’m glad to have read.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews