FIVE FAST STEPS TO
BETTER WRITING
20th anniversary edition
by Barbara Florio Graham
128 pages including a
NEW supplement
ISBN 0-9689196-2-6
$25 postpaid to U.S. or Canada
Order by clicking
here: CONTACT US
COURSES based on Five
Fast Steps to Better Writing
In Ottawa, contact: Joan Fulcher: Joan_Fulcher@ocdsb.edu.on.ca
In Metro Toronto, contact Steve Pitt : spitt@interlog.com
In northern Alberta, contact Lanny Boutin: www.lannyboutin.com
In London, Ontario, contact Suzanne Boles: suzanne@writeconnection.org
In Kitchener-Waterloo, contact Heather Wright: h_wright@sympatico.ca
The Thomas
More Institute in Montreal also offers a writing course which
uses this book as a text.
NEW: Online Course
based on Five
Fast Steps to Better Writing
Writing with Power & Precision is now available
online. The online version has been franchised to Donna D'Amour, an
award-winning writer, professional teacher, and popular workshop
leader. Winner of 2004 Atlantic Journalism Gold Award, Donna is also
the author of Colouring the Road, by Donna Doyle (Lancelot
Press), and co-author of Runaway, edited by Antonio D'Amour
(Zenobi Publishing). Visit: www.damourwriting.ca
for details, including fees and registration.
"The
advice on the writer's craft is sound and insightful...
the writing is clear, concise, and easy to follow.
The author is clearly an experienced and
thoughtful writer --
qualities that are essential for the reader of a
book like this
to be able to discern in order to have faith in
the quality of the content."
(commentary sheet from 14th annual
Writer's Digest book awards)
"ideal for beginning or professional writers, students and small businesses
a proven method for learning how to write well"
(The Ottawa Citizen)
"fast-paced, readable, a
treasury of valuable information and good ideas"
"apt examples, concise wisdom, worth getting"
(Canadian Author Magazine)
(Writer's Journal)
"clear
explanations and examples, but no annoying exercises"
"The
written word comes in many forms, including memos, fiction,
annual reports, memoir, ad infinitum. If you
write, for pleasure or for business,
Five Fast Steps to Better Writing
should be in your library.
It's educational, informative, easy-to-use and
downright fun."
(Sandra Phinney, writing teacher and
author of Great Canadian Inventors)
"a
helpful little book
that delves into the nitty-gritty of the
writing process."
(Liz Scott, Absolute Write Newsletter)
"
I love the way the book is set-up with the examples,
relevant quotes, etc., on the left-hand pages,
for easy reference."
(Dianne Oost, author and artist)
"Portable
and affordable! An effective teaching model
for the novice and experienced writer alike."
(Sharon Melnyk, University of California, Berkeley)
READ THE FULL REVIEW
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Blank Page
If you decide to enter the page...
take something you
can hold onto,
and a prism to
split the light
and a talisman that works,
which should be hung
on a chain around your neck:
that's for getting
back.
(Margaret Atwood, "The
Page," from Murder in the Dark)
How To Use This Book
STEP ONE: PREPARE
Essential decisions to pave the way
Tapping your innate creativity
Researching
Outlining
A writer lives in awe of
words, for they can be cruel or kind,
and they can change
their meanings right in front of you.
They pick up flavors and
odors like butter in a refrigerator.
(John Steinbeck)
STEP TWO: DRAFT
The easiest part
Changing your mind
Getting started
Determining length
Verbal fashions
A good writer makes
unlikely connections seem inevitable.
(Sydney Lumet)
STEP THREE: REVISE
Revising is not rewriting
Letting format help rather than hinder
Adding, subtracting, and rearranging
When the conclusion you reach is not the one you intended
Words
are vehicles that can transport us from the drab sands to the
dazzling stars.
(M. Robert Syme)
STEP FOUR: STRENGTHEN
Verbs are the key to strengthening sentences
Catching the run-on sentence
Adding power to modifiers
Supporting style with careful word choice
Writers make the world seem coherent.
They decipher babble, they
banish ambiguity and fluff,
they amuse, they persuade,
they convince, they entice, they inform.
(Lawrence Jackson, Feb. 19,
1942 - June 4, 1998)
STEP FIVE: POLISH
Avoiding the most common problems
Modifier placement
Agreement
Words often confused
Punctuation puzzlers
The final check
Afterword
Catastrophe (the almost-true story about Simon Teakettle)
SELECTED RESOURCES
APPENDICES NEW:
Types of Leads
A Dozen Reasons Why You Should Protect Your Copyright
Disaster-Proof Your Assignments
Self-Publishing: a Viable Option?
"En Garde!"
Tapping Your Innate Creativity, further information
BIO: Barbara Florio Graham
Buy the Companion Book
TIPS FOR YOUR BULLETIN BOARD
Most North Americans believe
there are three
things they do better than average:
drive, sing, and write.
Actually, most drive better
than they sing,
sing better than they
write, and don't drive all that well.
(Simon Teakettle)
TO ORDER:
This book is available by mail for $18. +
$3 p&h (US or Canadian dollars)
mailed to US or Canadian addresses. E-mail
Books@SimonTeakettle.com
for details.
If you don't receive a response within 48
hours, please try again. Sometimes e-mail is lost in cyberspace!
IF YOU'VE READ THIS FAR, YOU DESERVE SOME ENTERTAINMENT:
Presenting
a Parody on English Graham, by Mark Kearney
© 2007 Barbara Florio Graham
All Rights Reserved