Style

This book was written as a guide for novelists to scrub their prose free of dirt. With decent education, everybody can string a coherent sentence. This book brings the writer beyond that. It teaches how to write with impact.

2 themes threaded the chapters together. The first theme reminds writers of the ancient wisdom of showing, not telling. Don't tell how angry you are; show what happened and let the reader feel the rage, firsthand.

This is telling: That jerk made fun of the old man on the street.

This is showing: He took out some change from his pocket and strolled up to the old man trembling by the roadside. "You want them old man? Go pick them." He threw the coins into the mud and snickered as the old man ran after them.

The second theme in the book warns of author intrusion. Unless you are writing an essay, your opinions stay off the page. You want the reader to enter your story. If you share your beliefs, biases or ego, the reader crashes back into reality.

That jerk made fun of the old man on the street. The word "jerk" alerts the reader to your presence. Copywriters must pay extra attention to this point, because you write to the reader, on behalf of the client. If your voice seeps through the copy and disturbs the reader, the ad will fail its purpose.