Seven Steps to Confident Writing

Alan Gelb

• Publisher: New World Library
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781608685455
• Topic: Desarrollo personal
• Subtopic: Habilidades de escritura y presentación

Not everyone is a natural writer. In fact, most people don't think that much about writing until they're called upon to write something like an office memo or a wedding speech and find themselves paralyzed with self-doubt. Author and writing coach Alan Gelb specializes in helping anxious writers find their voice, drawing upon techniques that can improve anyone's writing, sometimes in a matter of days. His compact and easy-to-use guide demystifies the writing process and shows readers how to sculpt concise sentences, shape well-structured paragraphs, polish a final draft, and combat procrastination. Best of all, readers will see for themselves that writing is not an inborn talent but a skill that can be mastered with a bit of patience and perseverance.

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Index

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acronyms, internet, 182, 197

ACT exam, 184

Adams, Douglas, 33

adjectives, 126–27; adverbs confused as, 215–18; grammatical purpose of, 101; minimized use of, 11, 108, 201–2; possessive, 208; pruning of, 240

adverbs, 126–27, 223–24; adjectives confused as, 215–18; avoidance of, in attributions, 189; conjunctive, 210–11; flabby writing and overuse of, 184–85; grammatical purpose of, 102; minimized use of, 11, 108, 201–2; pruning of, 240

affect/effect confusions, 213–14

Alcott, Louisa May, 176

all ready / already usage, 223

all right, correct usage of, 223

all together / altogether usage, 223–24

a lot / allot / alot confusions, 214–15

alternate/alternative usage, 227

Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, The (Chabon), 176

Ambassadors, The (James), 108–9

ambiguity, 10–11

American Scholar, The (magazine), 96

analyzing, 48

Anna Karenina (Tolstoy), 146–47

antecedents, 206–7

applying, 48–49

arch expressions, 12

arguing, 49

articles, 100

Asbury, Herbert, 56

As I Lay Dying (Faulkner), 175

associating, 48

Atlantic (magazine), 23

attributions, 189, 197

Atwood, Margaret, 175

audience: communication style and, 2–5; identifying, 1–2, 5–9, 29, 42, 61; tone and, 165–66; Up Close exercise, 24–29; writer’s contract with, 9–13, 28–29; writing to, xi. See also reader

Austen, Jane, 146–47

authent...