How to Write

by Alastair Fowler

How to Write is an introductory guide to writing, aimed at people who think they can't write, or for whom writing is an ordeal. Broken down into short topic-based chapters on everything from beginning to revising, it demystifies the writing process by taking the reader through each stage necessary to bring a piece of writing to a decent finish. The book also offers a wealth of invaluable practical considerations, including when and where to write, when to printout and when to edit onscreen, what type of pen works well for revisions, and the hazards of the paperclip. The author is a seasoned writer whose encouraging but uncompromising guidance will delight as well as instruct.
Offering practical advice in a lucid, no-nonsense style, How to Write will be ideal for both students and professional people who need to write during the course of their work.

Topic areas



· How to begin, including prep work, producing drafts, and making outlines



· Sentence construction, including word order, punctuation, and use of metaphors



· Paragraph construction, including types of paragraphs, readability, and size reduction



· Tips on research and using reference works

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Language

202 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alastair David Shaw Fowler CBE FBA (b. 1930) is a Scottish literary critic and editor, an authority on Edmund Spenser, Renaissance literature, genre theory, and numerology. Fowler was educated at the University of Edinburgh, M.A. (1952). He was subsequently awarded an M.A. (1955), D.Phil. (1957) and D.Litt. (1962) from Oxford. As a graduate student at Oxford, Fowler studied with C.S. Lewis, and later edited Lewis's Spenser's Images of Life.

Fowler was junior research fellow at Queen's College, Oxford (1955 - 59). He also taught at Swansea (1959 - 61), and Brasenose College, Oxford (1962 - 71). He was Regius Professor of literature at the University of Edinburgh (1972 - 84) and also taught intermittently at universities in the United States, including Columbia (1964) and the University of Virginia (1969, 1979, 1985–98).

Fowler is known for his editorial work. His edition of John Milton's Paradise Lost, part of the Longman poets series, has some of the most scholarly and detailed notes on the poem and is widely cited by Milton scholars.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good little guide. Helpful for both students and teachers. Drawback is that is heavily geared towards British literature in terms of reference as well as more of a British student.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of good advice in this book on style and editing. It is concisely written. quickly getting to the point, and the points made are good ones. A quick but useful read and potentially a handy reference guide too.

[Norah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in a bookshop in Sydney, Australia when I was there some years ago, with a view to starting to write my memoir. However, after a rather nasty experience with someone I met there, I put off even reading it! Now I have started on a course to write that memoir, and it is proving quite useful.

[HARTATI · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Oxford's book how to write complete guide for beginner.

Its clear step by step to write from material reading,drafts, paragraph etc.. recapitulation.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly pedantic, but a neat little read.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like listening to your grandfather go on about the important principles in life. Take it or leave it, but it's a privilege to hear it.