Better Late Than Never: A Review of Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
I have come across many books about writing in my work because I write about writing myself. Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writing by Roy Peter Clark (Little, Brown, 2006) deserves special mention for two reasons: (1) It contains so much quality information and (2) it is so well written.
Aside: I first learned of this writer many years ago, when he contributed an engaging essay about writing news stories for one of our handbooks, Writers Express. (HMH).
Clark gathered and developed his thoughts for Writing Tools at the Poynter Institute, a prestigious school for journalists in St. Petersburg, Florida. The author refers to these strategies as tools (not rules) for students, teachers, bloggers, critics, columnists, and first-time novelists to use to develop their writing skills.
Each strategy comes in the form of a delightful personal essay. What holds each essay together is Clark’s appealing voice. He’s likeable, knowing, trustworthy, witty, genuine…heck, he’s just fun to read.
A Case in Point
TOOL 7 states: Fear not the long sentence. The subhead adds: Take the reader on a journey of language and meaning.
Clark plants the hook in the beginning: “Everyone fears the long sentence. Editors fear it. Readers fear it. Most of all, writers fear it. Even I fear it. Look. Another short one. Shorter. Fragments. Frags. Just letters. F…f…f…f. Can I write a sentence without words? Just punctuation?…#:!?”
In the middle, he provides examples from Tom Wolfe (a master of the long sentence) with thoughtful and clear explanations of each one, plus an interesting example from English essayist Sir Thomas Browne, an unkown to me.
Clark closes with this witty play on words: “The good writer must believe that a good sentence, short or long, will not be lost on the reader. And although Flesch preached the value of the good eighteen-word sentence, he praised long sentences written by such masters as Joseph Conrad. So even for old Rudolf, a long sentence, well crafted, was not a sin against the Flesch.” (Clark is referring to Rudolf Flesch, author of The Art of Readable Writing.)
I may not write a long, meandering, Wolf-like sentence today, tomorrow, or ever, but the technique is now part of my writing toolbox; Clark made sure of that is his clever essay.
Not every essay is as memorable as the one for Tool 7, and not every strategy or tool may be worthy of my (or your) toolbox, but overall, Writing Tools offers plenty of practical advice, plus a number of strategies designed to push writers out of their comfort zone.
Why types of tools does Clark include? Here’s a sampling:
TOOL 1: Begin sentences with subjects and verbs.
TOOL 8: Establish a pattern, then give it a twist.
TOOL 22: Climb up and down the ladder of abstraction.
TOOL 30: To generate suspense, use internal cliffhangers.
TOOL 39: Write toward an ending.
TOOL 49: Limit self-criticism in early drafts.
How should you become familiar with the contents? Here is one of Clark’s suggestions: Writing Tools contains 50 strategies, “one for every week of the year. You get two weeks for vacation.” Each strategy is followed by workshop ideas, four or five ways to practice or learn more about the concept. Because of this feature, the book would work very well in the writing classroom or workshop.
I have a special section on my bookshelf for favorite writing books, including, among others, On Writing Well by William Zinsser, The Art of Readable Writing by Rudolf Flesch, Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, and Learning by Teaching by Donald Murray. Space has been made for Writing Tools.
—Dave
Leave a Reply