Reviews (4)

Excellent, comprehensive,and easy to use
The Manual is a complete guide to the AMA style and also an excellent grammar book.The topics are easy to find and the tables and lists are comprehensive.It is a great companion to The Chicago Manual of Style because it details the grammar preferred by the AMA and contains needed terminology.This is a necessary reference for medical publications proofreaders and editors.

A style manual you will rarely close
The specific goal of the American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors is to codify and collect the myriad instructions, rules, and dictums that AMA applies to the many journals, books, and other publications that are printed under its imprint. The more general goal, perhaps not stated, is to broaden the influence of those standards so they encompass more of the medical publishing community. thank you cheryl �verson for that work
I read the book , I feel that work is very nice ,and I give that 5 star , ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Communication In Medicine    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. Dictionaries - General    5. Handbooks, manuals, etc    6. Medical    7. Medical writing    8. Reference    9. Research    10. Style manuals    11. Writing    12. History of medicine    13. Medical / Reference    14. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (5)

Great !
My close friend who is one of the nicest person I ever met, recommended me this book. Upon opening the first chapter, I already know that this book is amazing. My writing improves a lot. If you are an international student like me, you might also have hard time on writing as well. I guaranteed that this book is really invaluable.

Very good book, examples used bit too technical
Very good book for beginners and experienced researchers! I haven't come across any other book that actually describes how you should write a biomedical paper. The only critique is that the examples used are too technical for non-biomedical researchers, this makes it hard to understand the examples. But even if you do not have a biomedical background you will learn a lot from this book.

Authoritative
Authoritative guide on how to write.I have never seen a more comprehensive book on how to write clearly and write well.I would give it 6 stars if I could.Even non-scientists should read this.(Having said that, though, scientists IN PARTICULAR should read this - hint, hint.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    2. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    3. Life Sciences - Biology - General    4. Medical    5. Medical Writing    6. Publishing    7. Research    8. Technical writing    9. Writing    10. Biomedical engineering    11. English    12. Medical research    13. Science / Biology    14. Writing & editing guides    15. Writing skills   

Reviews (8)

How to read a potato in a painting as a potato and not a solar symbol?
This book is about writing on art.It has sections to equip you with what to keep in mind while writing an essay, research paper or review of an exhibit.
Useful in some ways, not in others.
I recently read the 6th edition of this book in hopes that it would help me to improve my ability to understand and write about art. I found that the book is a direct, well-written primer for someone finishing high school or beginning their undergraduate degree, but for someone with a bit more experience, it turns out to be a mixed bag. points out the obvious
A professor highly recommended this book to my art history class. Iwas disappointed in it. I had hoped it would offer some useful advice but instead it merely outlines the things anyone writing on a college level (and the book seems to be aimed at college students) should already know. Perhaps it would be better suited to high schoolers. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art criticism    3. Authorship    4. Composition & Creative Writing - General    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    6. Fine Arts    7. Fine Arts (Specific Aspects)    8. General    9. Language    10. Reference    11. Research And Report Writing    12. Technical Writing    13. Creative writing guides   

Reviews (3)

Its okay, but wouldn't have bought it if I didn't need it.
The book was required for a Junior level course I'm taking at alocal college and that is why I bought it.My personal opinion is that there were too many writers on this book.It is poorly organization and broke some of the basic rules in writing a reference book, such as referencing various studies without actually providing the citation for the study.
Reporting Technical Information
It would be more helpful to have the authors added more figures which arefor illustrating the lessons and for examples. Thanks

Student Reviews Textbook
I used this book for my technical writing class.I found the readings straightforward.Sometimes, the actual chapters were too common sense.This book really shines in its use of examples.There are examples of eachtype of document.The handbook in the back is also a handy reference. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    2. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    3. Literary Criticism    4. Reference    5. Technical Writing    6. Language for technical & scientific purposes    7. Literary Criticism & Collections / Reference    8. Literature/English | Writing | Business, Legal, & Technical Writing   

Reviews (2)

Keeper Text Book
I've been using this book in a career writing class where we have been focusing on learning how to write creative non-fiction. It is a great book full of incredible selections and is a great introduction to the field of Creative Nonfiction. Let me tell you, after years of writing academic essays, this has been a blast. The book, and my instructor, has helped me understand the difference between an autobiography and a memoir or a personal familiar essay and a personal critical essay. The Guideline for Creative Non-Fiction
Finally the genre of Creative Non-Fiction is gaining recognition as a valid art form.Critics are finally starting to realize what the puplic has always known; real people have valid and intruiging stories to tell. The Fourth Genre collects an overview of the best non-fiction writerswriting in and about their genre.I had the privilege to study under acontibutor fromthis book and discovered the joys of writing about my lifeand reading about the lives of others.This book is a necessity to thoseinterested in Creative Non-Fictions.I would also recommend Naked and MeTalk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris, Writing Life Stories by BillRoorbach, and Take the Cannoli by Sarah Vowell. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. Essay    5. Essays    6. Language    7. Language Arts & Disciplines    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Reportage literature    10. Essays, journals, letters & other prose works    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing   

Reviews (6)

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
One thing I can say is I enjoy a good film. O.K. if it moves I'll watch it. But until I read this book I really was just looking with out seeing.
TWO THUMBS DOWN
I am currently a film major who is being forced to read this book.Let me say that so far I am only to chapter three and have suffered through every page of it.It is filled with basic, common sense, (i.e., the best way to write about film is to take notes during the screening.and if you can, it's good to see the movie more than once), which is explained in several pages.Give me a break.Not only does he present basic knowlnedge but he repeats himself in so many words.The truth is, the only way to successfully analize film is to develop an eye for symbolism.No book, I don't care who writes it, can teach you that.It is something that must be personally developed.Why someone would waste their time writing a book trying to teach people how to do that blows my mind.I give it one star, cause after all, everyone deserves a little comething for at least trying.

fine, blessedly concise guide
I'm writing to second mitry's opinion of the book and to add to mitry's comment about kenosha's complaint of textual errors. I have the second edition of the book, and Corrigan speaks of Captain Willard and refers to Marlowe as "the other Captain Willard" (p. 43). It's clear from the context that he is comparing the film character with Conrad's protagonist. I doubt Corrigan would have revised the 2nd edition text here to make an error in the 3rd edition.Don't get turned off by an erroneous review! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    2. Composition & Creative Writing - General    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. Film criticism    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    8. Cinema industry    9. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    10. Writing skills   

Subjects:  1. Composition & Creative Writing - General    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    3. Handbooks, manuals, etc    4. Language    5. Language Arts & Disciplines    6. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    7. Reference    8. Report writing    9. Research    10. Rhetoric    11. Language Arts & Disciplines / Composition & Creative Writing    12. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (6)

If you're a serious journalist, this book is a must.
This is the bible of broadcast news writing. Well organized. I'm a 25 year veteran of broadcast news and I still find information in this book that improves my writing and reporting.

Broadcast newswriting for the professional
Merv Block was himself a newswriter. He wrote for Cronkite and others; his experience is unquestioned. can't live without it!
Ten years ago, I had the privilege of taking introductory radio writing from Mr. Block while earning my master's degree in journalism at Columbia University.If memory serves, Mr. Block also revisited my spring semesterradio news course as a guest editor and instructor.He was a tough andfair instructor -- one of the many highlights of my year at 116th andBroadway.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Broadcast journalism    3. Careers / Job Opportunities    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Newspapers/Magazines    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    6. Journalism    7. Performing Arts    8. Performing Arts/Dance    9. Report writing    10. Style manuals    11. Television - General    12. Television - Reference    13. Television Journalism    14. Media studies    15. Radio & television industry    16. Reference / General    17. Writing & editing guides   

Editorial Review

One of Ludwig Miës van der Rohe's favorite aphorisms was that "God is in the details." Jon Franklin would beg to differ. A pretty turn of phrase is no use at all, says he, if you don't have a firm structure on which to hang it. Franklin pioneered the field of creative nonfiction by applying fiction's classical complication-resolution form to standard nonfiction (specifically to news stories, most of which, he states, are generally "endings without beginnings attached"). Instead of focusing on style, grammar, and word use, as do many books on writing, Read more

Reviews (23)

Finally, something that makes sense to me
After several tries with other well-reputed books, this is the first that has truly conveyed to me a clear understanding of how to write for story.Indeed, when I read this for the first time, I found it difficult at times to focus on Franklin's words, finding myself pulled away by story ideas crystalizing for me as never before.
Powerful and practical medicine....
This is an atypical book on writing, which focuses on something that man has been doing since language was invented -- telling engaging stories.The concepts are simple and powerful, but the application of them is not!I found that this book has helped me to improve my writing and appreciate other people's writing.Jon Franklin is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner who honed his skills in the writing trenches rather than in a classroom.At times, what he has to say is bitter medicine, but reading your finished product will be worth the effort.
THE best book on feature writing
This wonderful book changed my writing life.I wish that I could say that I have lived up to Jon Franklin's writing advice, but at best I have aspired to live up to the advice Jon Franklin shares in WRITING FOR STORY.I first read this is 1988 and have periodically re-read it since then. For nonfiction feature writers, this book is on a par with Strunk & White. Highly recommended.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. General    5. Reference    6. Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / General    7. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (2)

Well organized; great prompts
This is a great read for those interested in writing their life story.Mr. Thomas goes from early childhood through retirement, and being a 20-something, some of the information did not apply. However, it is still well worth the reading.He has specific prompts, and works with small "chunks" of life.Entwined are guides to good writing, and other aspects of writing a great story.

A Must Read For Autobiographers
I've worked most of my adult life as an actor. One of my grandchildren was watching television and saw an old movie in which I appeared. "Grandpa, is that you?" After having to explain what I did for a living, it occurred tome that I was no different. I knew very little about my ancestors. At thetime, I didn't know what my own grandfather (who died before I was born)did for a living. I wanted to make sure that future generations of myfamily know that I existed and what I did for a living. It was then that Irealized how important it was to write my life's story to preserve mylegacy.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Autobiography    3. Biography (as a literary form)    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    5. Composition & Creative Writing - General    6. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    7. Language    8. Language Arts & Disciplines    9. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    10. Report writing    11. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (2)

A Very Useful Handbook
It's beyond clich� to say that a book has changed your life, but this little handbook - a supplemental art history text, of all things - ranks with scripture and great literature as one of the most personally beneficial books I've ever read. This may say more about me than the book, of course, but if you are the sort of person who finds it difficult to think about art, let alone talk or write about it, then perhaps this will give you hope. Excellent for Homework
Although I am not an Art History Major, I found this book to be very helpful when writing a paper about particular artwork! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Art criticism    4. Authorship    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    6. Criticism    7. General    8. Reference    9. Art / General    10. The Arts: General Issues   

Editorial Review

Like eating a well-conceived meal at an exceptional restaurant, reading this book is a wholly satisfying experience. Less-skilled chefs may have failed to get the book's many disparate elements to cohere, but, in the hands of editors Carolyn Forché and Philip Gerard, those ingredients sing. Brenda Miller compares the shape of a lyric essay with that of a loaf of challah bread; Nicholas S. Hentoff and Harvey A. Silverglate offer a primer on legal land mines. Christopher Merrill ponders the art of war writing, while Dinty W. Moore explores,the use of humor in creative nonfiction. There's an essay about bringing oneself into the story, and another about taking oneself out. Bob Reiss offers hilarious yet salient advice on surviving as a writer overseas. The contributors (Annie Dillard, Phillip Lopate, Barry Lopez, Terry Tempest Williams, et al.) spend the first half of the book discussing creative nonfiction and the second half demonstrating it. Not only does the format work, but pairing the works of creative nonfiction with the accompanying commentary is educational and entertaining. Read more

Reviews (5)

an excellent resource
whilst one can not expect every chapter to be directly relevant, i found each of them thought provoking. this book has enabled me to view the genre, and my writing attempts, in a new light.
Does Creative Nonfiction Exist?
Over the past several years there has been quite a controversy as to what exactly is creative nonfiction. Nicholas Hentoff rules
This book is almost uniformly excellent, but the essay by Nicholas Hentoff alone is worth the purchase price. Hentoff, a semi-legendary Arizona criminal defense lawyer and champion of civil rights, offers invaluable advice to nonfiction writers on avoiding legal landmines, and therefore avoiding the tendency towards self-censorship. Every journalist who cares about doing work that matters should have a copy of this essay. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    3. English language    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Prose literature    6. Reference    7. Reportage literature    8. Rhetoric    9. Study and teaching    10. Writing Skills    11. Writing & editing guides   

Editorial Review

I know: we all want to write a Great Novel. But in the meantime, don't you have a few terrific ideas for a nonfiction book, too? The subtitle of this book is "How to Get a Contract and an Advance Before Writing Your Book." Doesn't THAT sound better than competing with John Grisham and Tom Clancy? Eighty-five percent of all new titles are nonfiction. So dust off those memoirs, dig up those recipes of Aunt Edna's. Lyon takes you step by step through the process of how to discover and pitch your nonfiction book idea to the best market. ... Read more

Reviews (24)

A Great Resource for Writers - Aspiring and Otherwise
The position of an aspiring writer, trying to break into the published market, is not an enviable one. Here's a fairly common scenario: writer spends a year or two writing his book. He pours his heart and mind into the manuscript, and once it's done, he starts sending it out to publishing houses. Responses aren't immediately forthcoming; it's a big manuscript, so it tends to sit at the bottom of busy publishers' to-do lists. Finally, if he's lucky, he gets a response - someone actually wants to publish his book. Only they want a lot of it changed, to make it more marketable.
This book works
I wrote a book, then I followed Elizabeth Lyon's advice to the letter. Got four offers! My editor says my proposal was one of the finest ones he'd ever seen. Buy this book and follow her advice.

First Ever Proposal: A Non-Fiction Book on Risk
Elizabeth does not waste words. I just took her book proposal outline, modified it slightly for my purposes, and marched forward with confidence. Whether it gets published is now in the hands of fate.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Book proposals    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    5. Marketing    6. Reference    7. Writing Skills    8. Reference / General    9. Writing & editing guides   

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Academic    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. General    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Psychology    7. Publishing    8. English    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    10. Psychology--Authorship    11. Writing skills   

Editorial Review

Every time Read more

Reviews (6)

So you want to write a memoir?
Memoir writers Russell Baker, Annie Dillard, Alfred Kazin, Toni Morrison, and Lewis Thomas share their thoughts on writing memoir. The chapters are taken from a series of talks given on the subject. Capturing Memories
Capturing Your Memories On Writing a Memoir
According to Webster, the definition of memoir is "a biographical sketch, usually one written by someone who knows the subject well."It is from the Latin word memoria, meaning memory.But in Inventing the Truth, Annie Dillard says, "Don't hope in a memoir to preserve your memories.If you prize your memories as they are by all means avoid--eschew--writing a memoir" (70). Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir is a sort of instructional anthology composed of six chapters written by six authors.The purpose of this book, edited and introduced by William Zinsser, is to give writers different perspectives on how to write a memoir. If you are writing a memoir, or even just thinking about writing one, this book will be helpful to you.It contains examples of good memoir writing, advice on what to put in and what to leave out, and an overview of the process of writing a memoir. The advice given by William Zinsser and the other five contributors to Inventing the Truth pertains mostly to organizing memories.Annie Dillard's chapter entitled "To Fashion a Text" is very focused on memoir writing, and would not prove useful to the average Joe.However, Lewis Thomas' chapter called "A Long Line of Cells" would be interesting for anyone to read. Unless you are thinking about writing a memoir, this book probably will not entirely interest you. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Authors, American    2. Autobiography    3. Biography    4. Biography And Autobiography    5. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    6. General    7. History and criticism    8. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    9. Literary Criticism    10. United States    11. Writing Skills    12. Reference / Writing Skills    13. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (6)

A Travel Writer Rates It "Pretty good, but..."
So you're ready to dive into TRAVEL WRITING?Better see what's floating in the pool first.
Refreshing Treatment of Familiar Subject
Cutting right to the chase, this is a delightful read.Travel books can range from deadly to enlightening...and this is on the truly enjoyable end of the scale. There is nothing more tedious than a 1000 page Fromer's guide to some place you will never visit in two lifetimes.Don George has done a nice job assembling the contributors and arranging the order of pieces...some by old hands and others by promising new comers. I particularly enjoyed the one by Joshua Clark.

Comprehensive and Realistic Guide to Travel Writing
This book is both sobering and inspiring, but most importantly, practical.Starting from an important place, "What It Takes To Be a Travel Writer," this may well convince you that travel writing isn't really a dream job for most people.Relationships with close friends can be strained, travel isn't as fun when it's a job, pay isn't usually too great, and there is such a thing as burning out from traveling too much.Some travel writers even forget to stop taking notes when they're on an actual vacation.
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Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    3. General    4. Home Improvement / Construction    5. Language Arts / Linguistics / Literacy    6. Travel    7. Travel writing    8. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (15)

Barrington's WRITING THE MEMOIR Great Resource
Judith Barrington's WRITING THE MEMOIR is a great resource for anyone interested in memoirs. Even if you're like me and are not into doing the exercises at the end of each chapter, you'll learn much from this well-written and researched book. There are wonderful excerpts from writers like Alice Walker, Kathleen Norris, Annie Dillard, Virginia Wolfe and especially Frank Conroy, whose stories about his family picketing his book signings put in context the question of whether to write your story as fiction or non-fiction. This is a book to read and re-read. Writers compelled to write their memoir will return to it again and again.

The Best Book on Memoir-Writing You Can Get
This book sis easy to read, full of information, and gives information on subjects that others of its genre doesn't touch (such as the law and writing about abuse). It is a definite must read for anyone considering putting their life out in print.

a helpful and pleasant read...
All in all, this book was easily digestable, and more importantly, very useful for those who want to experiment withbiographical or memoir writings. Although the book is short and sweet, it also points to many other books (Bird By Bird, Writing Down The Bones, Autobiography of a Face, dozens more) that both legitimize the book and offer further reading.Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Autobiography    3. Biography as a literary form    4. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    5. General    6. Reference    7. Report writing    8. Writing Skills    9. Reference / Writing Skills    10. Reference works   

Editorial Review

Robert Coles, a child psychiatrist whose series of books on children won him a Pulitzer Prize, has turned his watchful eye to the nature of the documentary and produced a thought-provoking book. In somewhat the manner of James Faris's recent study, Read more

Reviews (1)

Documentary work related to literary fiction
This is an important book for "so called" documentary writers, photographers, and film makers. I say "so called" because we tend to think of documentary work as an accurate representation--literally thetruth. Robert Coles pretty much shoots that idea down, showing how thebackground, beliefs, biases, hopes, and fears of the documentarian colorthe narrative. I came away believing that the word objective is notrelevant here, and that it may be impossible to ever get at the truth. If Iread Coles right, the documentarian may, in fact, be more akin to theliterary fiction writer/photographer/film-maker, who does seem to get atthe truth. This is not to say that documentary work is futile. On thecontrary it can be potent, meaningful, and worthwhile. We may just have tolook at it differently and face up to the fact that it reflects the persondoing the documentary work as much as it does his/her subject. This is aliberating idea. And we owe a debt to Coles for proffering it. There areconsequences, too. For instance, in the light of Coles' discovery, a lot ofcritics may owe an apology to Richard Avedon, whose photographic fiction,"In The American West," may be fine documentary work after all. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - General    2. Cinema/Film: Book    3. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    4. Film & Video - Direction & Production    5. Film & Video - History & Criticism    6. Performing Arts    7. Photography    8. Photojournalism    9. Communication | Film & Television Studies    10. Media studies    11. Performing Arts / Film / History & Criticism    12. Social research & statistics   

Reviews (2)

A Quick and Superb Guide to Writing Great Essays
Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Essays is a superb reference for learning how to research and write essays.I have assigned this book for the past 5 years, and each year my undergraduates tell me it is the best resource of the class.The book teaches them how to identify a topic, develop a topic question, write a clearly identified thesis statement, and prove their argument through careful use of evidence.
Too Brief--Essay Types NOT Covered
I am STILL seeking a general how-to essay book that covers all the rhetorical essay pattern types, even after buying Schaum's Quick Guide to Writing Great Essays, because this book does not fulfil the promise of it's title, or misleading descriptive information. I received this book yesterday, skimmed through it immediately, and am greatly disappointed. Read more

Subjects:  1. Authorship    2. Composition & Creative Writing - Nonfiction    3. English language    4. Essay    5. Language    6. Language Arts & Disciplines    7. Reference    8. Report writing    9. Research And Report Writing    10. Rhetoric    11. Students & Student Life    12. Education / Essays    13. Writing & editing guides   

Reviews (5)

Terrific book!
This book is so easy to use and interesting. I love the sample writing from real people! I gave the book to my mother and got her started writing. The results were so meaningful. She loved both the book and her family'sresponse to her writing. What a great way to get families to communicate!