Next time you wonder whether to use one comma or two to set off a word or phrase in the middle of a sentence, imagine reaching in and lifting that word or phrase out with both hands. Does the sentence still make sense?
-- Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs (And Everything You Build from Them) by Marcia Riefer Johnston.
I love all kinds of "how to write well" books, from The Elements of Style to The Harvard Blue Book (that one dates me!) to Eats, Shoots and Leaves. This one is particularly good -- livelier than most and never pedantic, but with plenty of substance.
Word Up! debuts April 27, 2013 -- National Tell a Story Day. Print and e-book versions will be available from Powell’s, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Better yet, ask your local bookstore to carry it!
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.
Looks like a book I could use.
ReplyDeleteThat's a change of pace from all of the fiction usually posted here!
ReplyDeleteMine on the other hand is a novel, an espionage thriller.
http://eyesandearsblog.blogspot.com/2013/03/teaser-tuesday.html