I usually write the posts for my personal blog straight from the heart, the only thing that I do is check for grammatical, style and usage errors. I usually keep it for one day and then read it once again and if I am satisfied, I post it.

The book reviews, I write, after reading the book a few times. I note down the interesting ideas and thoughts, the good aspects, the areas where the author could have improved, and so on. The next thing I do is to give a ‘one-to-two’ sentence description of each chapter or section depending on the nature of the book. Finally, I conclude the review with my recommendation—for whom the book will be useful and how useful it will be. Usually I also comment on the readability, the layout, the binding, how the book could have been improved, etc.

For writing product reviews, I use the product for at least a few weeks, sometimes more. I usually don’t read the Reviewer’s Guide given by the product vendors as I prefer to form my own opinions and reach my own conclusions. When I review a product (software or hardware) some of the questions that I seek answers are: who will benefit from the product, who are the potential users, how the product will improve the productivity, how the product could be improved, how it compares with the competing products, and so on. Once I post the review, I usually send a mail to the vendor giving him a more technical review about the additional features that could improve the value to the users, the bugs that I have found while testing, better marketing strategies like a market segment that could use the product but not addressed by the vendor and so on. This has helped me in making many friends around the world.

Writing technical articles for my web sites follow the same process as writing for magazines but does not involve the processes like editorial review, incorporation of review comments, and so on. As soon as I finish the article (of course after editing, rewriting, proofing, and so on), I upload it to the web site.

Writing technical article for magazines is the longest process as it involves many people—sponsoring editor, review panel, writer, copyeditor, layout designers, and so on. Also there are editorial guidelines, which are unique for each magazine. They also vary in detail from a single sentence (the article should not be more than 3500 words) to very comprehensive guidelines as to how it should be structured, what is allowed and what is not, and so on.

All articles begin as an idea—sometimes I get an idea and I will ask the sponsoring editor whether she is interested in that idea; sometimes I give a list of 7–8 ideas and ask her to choose what she likes. The query sent to the editor will contain the title of the article with a one-paragraph synopsis. Two examples are given below:

ERP Alone is not Enough…
ERP packages have certain limitations. These limitations will prevent the organization will reap the full benefits of implementing the ERP systems. ERP systems streamline and automate only one segment of the supply chain; for the rest of the segments, the ERP system should be integrated with various technologies. This article discusses those technologies and explains how to integrate those technologies to the ERP system.

Surviving and Staying Ahead…
How to survive and stay ahead of competition in today’s highly competitive world. The article will cover topics like how to use technology effectively, how to continuously learn (learning organization), continuously improve (Kaizen), how to be agile and more responsive, how to streamline and automate business process and functions, how to use information as a competitive weapon and so on.

Sometimes I am asked to write about a particular topic. In such cases, the editorial board will give a one-paragraph synopsis of what they want. Thus the origin of the idea can come from various sources. Once the idea is approved, the writing process starts. I will describe my writing process with the example of an article that I have written for the BenefIT Magazine — ERP Alone is not Enough…

Once I decide to write the article, I pull up my old notebooks to see if there are any resources that I could use—it could be a book, a quote, an example, or a case study. When I read a book, magazine or journal, I write down the ideas, thoughts, references, and sentences that I like in my Moleskine notebook. So my notebooks are the first source that I check. If there is something useful, then I will look up those resources and make notes—elaborate notes. Here the idea is to gather as much information as possible so that I will have enough material once I start writing.

The next step is searching the Internet for relevant information. My primary search tool is Google, but I also use Clusty, Amazon’s A9, Ask, Alexa, Live Search, and so on. I also search the digital libraries like ACM Digital Library , IEEE Computer Society Digital Library, Web sites of magazines like Harvard Business Review, Scientific American Digital, Nature, etc. While searching these on-line resources, I will take notes—again elaborate ones as before. The only difference is that here I will be copying and pasting the information I want to OneNote.

Once I think I have enough material, I will go through them a few times. Then I will write the first outline of the article, the first and second level headings on a paper. Once I think I have a reasonably solid outline, I transfer the outline to my Moleskine. If it is an article of about 3000–3500 words, I only need to fill one page of the notebook. If the outline goes to a second page, it means the article will be longer. So I try to fit everything into one page. The outline that I created for the article “ERP Alone is not Enough…” is shown below:

Article Outline in my Moleskine (Click on the image to enlarge)

I use a lot of symbols, colors, and images while making the notes. It makes the process more interesting and outcome more satisfactory. Armed with the article outline, I open my mind mapping software—MindManager and create a mind map.

Article Outline in MindManager (Click on the image to enlarge)

MindManager is the leading mind mapping software and my favorite. The advantage of using a mind mapping is the ease of organization and reorganization. I just have to simply drag and drop the topic or subtopic from one branch to the other to reorganize it. Also, mind mapping helps in generating more ideas than a linear note taking or brain storming session. Once the mind map is completed, I export the outline to MS-Word. The exported outline (erp_outline.pdf) forms the basis of the article.

Now you must be wondering whether I am out of mind to do this kind of iterative process. But believe me; with each iteration, the article becoming clearer, more organized and better.

The actual writing takes a few hours. Here all the research and homework I have done helps in completing the article very quickly. When I am writing the first draft, I write from the heart without thinking about grammar, style, organization—write without interrupting the flow. Actually that is a tip that I got from two masters—William Zinsser and Stephen King.

Once the first draft is complete, I go through it a few times with a critical mind. Here the main objective is to find grammatical and usage errors, logical errors, and organize the sentences and paragraphs better. While I am revising the article, I usually get new ideas—a better example, a more meaningful case study, a more precise and concise explanation, etc. I will incorporate those into the article—sometimes replacing the existing ones with the new ones and sometimes adding the new things to the document.

Once the article is complete, I edit it to remove the flab and make it concise. Another reason for editing is to bring the word count to the specified number. After completing the article, I usually leave it alone for a day and then start editing it once again. I find it much easier and more efficient as I can edit with a fresh mind. I am able to edit it better and in most cases improve the quality also. Once the editing is done I use two tools—StyleWriter and Readability Studio.

StyleWriter searches the document for writing faults, including complex words, jargon and abstract words, wordy phrases, hidden verbs, passive verbs, clichés and long sentences. It is an excellent tool in finding the mistakes that escaped the editing and rewriting processes. It also offers suggestions that will improve the readability, make the sentences crispier and clearer.

Readability Studio analyzes the document and calculates the popular readability scores. Some of the scores calculated are New Dale-Chall, Spache, Laesbarhedsindex (LIX), Rate Index (RIX), SMOG, Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, etc. It also generates the reports of difficult words used in the document, words that are repeated many times, and a host of other results that will help in improving the document and making it more suitable for the intended audience.

You can increase the impact of an article with an apt quotation and improve the readability with a suitable illustration. Quotations can be obtained by searching the Internet or from a quotation library. Quotations are ideal for stressing a point with the help of someone else. As Woodrow Wilson, the 28th U.S. President, said, “I not only use all the brains I have, but all that I can borrow.” The quotation library I use is the Ultimate Success Quotation Library. This is a fully searchable library—you can search on subject, author, key words, and so on. You can also add your favorite quotations to the database. For creating illustrations, I use SmartDraw. It is one of the leading graphics packages and is easy to learn and use. You can create professional quality images using it. The image I created for the article is given below:

Image created using SmartDraw (Click on the image to enlarge)

Once the images are incorporated, the final document is ready and I send it (ERP_BenefIT.pdf) to the editor.

The review panel will go through the article and see if it confirms to the magazines standards and editorial guidelines. Once approved, the article is given to the copyeditor. A good copyeditor is every author’s best friend. According to Stephen King, “The editor is always right. To write is human, to edit is divine.” The copyeditor goes through the document and makes it more readable, appealing and interesting. Once the copyediting is completed the edited version is sent back to me for my approval and for checking whether there are any technical errors. Sometimes the copyeditor will mark some queries, ask to rewrite a sentence or paragraph for better readability.

Once I incorporate the changes suggested by the copyeditor and approve the copyeditor’s changes, the article is given to the layout designer who will insert the graphic elements, artwork, and blurbs and produce the final output that will appear in print. Given below is the article as it appeared in the January 2008 issue of BenefIT magazine. It is titled ERP Works Wonders With Multi-Application Support. Compare it with the document that I sent (ERP-BenefIT.pdf) and you will understand the value addition done during the copyediting, layout design and final production stages.

BenefIT Magazine, January 2008
(Click on the image to open the document)

SmartDraw is one of the most popular graphics software. It can be used for many purposes from creating flowcharts, high quality illustrations and diagrams, project management chart, floor plans, landscapes and so on.

One can use the excellent templates available to jump start the process or start from scratch depending on the level of comfort and the nature of the drawing. One advantage of SmartDraw is its short learning curve and one can create professional quality illustration, diagrams and charts in a matter of minutes. While a creative and expert artist can make the drawings and illustrations come alive, an average user can also create high quality charts and figures. The short learning curve and ease-of-use are two factors that make this exemplary product more popular and usable.

The people at SmartDraw have created detailed videos, whitepapers, sample diagrams and charts, and a host of other materials that will help the user in becoming proficient in using SmartDraw very quickly.

There are many other uses for SmartDraw like presentations, business process diagrams, flow charts, project management charts, landscapes, floor plans, organizational charts, mind maps, etc. In this review, I will concentrate on how SmartDraw will help you in creating the drawings and illustrations for the book or article that you are writing.
SmartDraw can help you in two ways. First, when you want to convey an idea of a diagram to your graphic designer, instead of a hand drawn figure, you can create it in a matter of minutes using SmartDraw and save it in any of the popular graphic file formats.

The second and more important use is that you can create your own drawings and illustrations without the help of a professional graphic artist. SmartDraw templates and an excellent searchable image library help you in creating high quality images that will add the extra value to your book or article. The features like aligning, grouping, rotating, ordering, making all objects of equal size, and so on makes your tasks easier and quality of the images better. For example, given below are some of the images created using SmartDraw.

You can get more details from the SmartDraw website. You can download a trial version of the software and see the features before buying it. You can choose the right business graphic using the Encyclopedia of Business Graphics. You can read through the Business Graphics bulletins with links to white papers, webinars, tutorials, success stories, and more at. You can learn more techniques and tips by studying the examples. In addition to the above resources there are step-by-step tutorials for creating a perfect diagram in minutes.

SmartDraw is a must for every technical author as it will improve the productivity and also the quality of the images making the article, essay, or book more interesting and readable. I recommend it to all authors and technical writers.

If you are a student researching for your project, a researcher conducting literature review for your thesis, a teacher preparing notes for your lectures, a speaker noting down a passage or quotation for your speech, or a writer researching for your new book, then this product is ideal for you. I am sure all of you have encountered situations where you have to write down a few passages or sentences from a book, journal, or other print references.

Writing down a few paragraph or a few sentences from large reference books or journals is a time consuming and strenuous task. Now you have an alternative—IRISPen Scanner. IRIS pen scanners are available in different versions. The product reviewed here is IRISPen Executive.

Figure 2. The Scanning Process

The IRISPen ^TM Executive is the full-featured OCR scanning pen. This scanning pen works just like a highlighter—simply slide it over printed information from newspapers, magazines, faxes, letters, etc. What you get is real and editable text, right at your cursor. The scanner recognizes more than 50 languages.

IRISPen Executive connects to your computer via a USB port. It takes a few hours to master the scanning process. But once you get the hang of it, near 100% accurate scanning is possible. I have a reasonable typing speed of 60wpm, but when I tried scanning the text instead of typing it took only about one-third the typing time, which is considerable productivity improvement.

The scanning is faster and most accurate when you are scanning from plain sheets or books that lay flat on the table. Getting perfect results using books that does not fully open or have a curved profile require some practice. The scanner is attached to the computer using a USB cable which restricts the free movement of the scanner. IRIS could have used a more flexible cable to make things easier.

This pen scanner scans text (font sizes from 8–20 points), dot matrix printer outputs, barcodes, small images, and so on. There is also a speech synthesis with which you can make the IRISPen speak out the recognized data for you. The speech synthesis is available in seven languages— Brazilian (Portuguese), British English, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Russian. Speech synthesis is easy; just scan the text and the computer reads it out. But enabling speech synthesis will reduce the scanning speed considerably.

Since the scanner is connected to the USB port using a cable, there is no need for external power supply. This is an ideal tool for anyone who wants to capture text into their computers. The scanner is an ideal companion for your laptop when you go to the library for research as you could scan in the text you want directly into your word processor much faster than typing.

Figure 3. A Stand for the IRISPen Scanner

There are a few things that IRIS could have done to improve the user experience. First as I have mentioned above the USB cord could have been more flexible.

Figure 4. End Cap for Protecting the Scanning Head

Second, a pen stand (see Figure 3) or an end cap (see Figure 4) for keeping the scanner would have been ideal for protecting the scanning head when it is not in use.

Figure 5. Wireless Scanner with Bluetooh Technology

Another option could have been to make the scanner wireless with a USB Bluetooth transceiver (see Figure 5) or store the text in the scanner (like a pen drive), which could be transferred to the computer when the scanning is finished (see Figure 6). One of the reasons IRIS went along with the corded USB option was accuracy, in that case, the only suggestion I have is to make the cord more flexible.

Figure 6. Storing the Scanned Text like a Pen Drive

An excellent product that is very useful for all who deal with information. More information about IRISPen products is available at IRIS Web site.

I am writing a book on Project Management. After I submitted the manuscript the publisher is telling me that, once the CRC pages are ready, I should prepare the index. If I am unable to prepare the index, the publisher will entrust the task to an indexer and deduct the amount from my royalty. But there was no mention about indexing in the MoA. When I asked the publisher about it, the reply I got was that it was the author’s responsibility to prepare the index and hence not specified in the contract. What should I do?

Any help/suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance
David

On 9-Nov-2007 Alexis Leon wrote:

Dear David,

Most publishers want the authors to do the indexing. As you have mentioned, in many cases, all the tasks that the author has to perform are not mentioned in the contract or MoA. But most good publishers and the editors tell the first time or inexperienced authors what are the tasks they are expected to do in addition to completing the manuscript.

Some publishers engage the services of professional indexers and bear the cost of indexing. In order to cut costs, now publishers often ask the authors to do the indexing, and if the authors cannot or are not willing to do the indexing the indexing charges will be deducted from the royalties. Professional indexers are costly and such an exercise would eat into the royalties of the book. So, if the author can negotiate a contract wherein the publisher and author share the indexing costs, the impact on the royalties would be acceptable.

There is nothing wrong in the author doing the indexing. But the problem is that indexing takes time and requires a lot of skill. Also there are different kinds of indexes. By the time the author has written the book, settled the arguments with reviewer(s), incorporated the review comments, read the copyedited proofs and accepted /rejected the copyeditor’s changes, answered the author queries, read the galley proofs, he would have been had enough. Whether the author has the stamina, willpower and willingness to undertake another project—indexing the book—is a question that should be asked. Some authors do it, some other leave it to the indexers.

Even if an author is willing to take up the indexing project, he should know how to prepare the index. The indexing tools in the word processors will not help you in creating good indexes. Indexing is a time consuming and tedious process. But if you have the determination, it is a skill that can be learned.

If you are planning to prepare the index of your book, then I recommend you two books which will give you valuable information and advice on how to prepare the index. You will also have to refer to the guidelines provided by the publisher if any. The books are:

1. Mulvany, N.C., Indexing Books (Second Edition), The University of Chicago Press, 2005.
2. The University of Chicago Press, Indexes: A Chapter from The Chicago Manual of Style (15^th Edition), The University of Chicago Press, 2003.

If you are an author, a researcher, or a student, then you would know how it is difficult to create the reference list, selected bibliography or bibliography. There are different styles—MLA, Chicago, APA, Turabian and so on. The preferences of different publishers, universities or professors vary. So the authors usually find it very difficult to get the style and details right. The fact is complicated by the differences in citing books, proceedings, articles, and so on.

Now, you can create your references or bibliographies in a snap, thanks to BibMe a web site that creates the bibliographies for you. BibMe is your one-stop source for all your bibliography needs! With BibMe, you don’t have to remember all the information for the source you cited.

BibMe site allows you to search from a database of millions of entries to find your source and automatically fill in the information. If you have the information about the information source, then you can enter your details. BibMe has a Citation Guide, that offers resources to help you cite your work properly.

BibMe uses a host of sources including Amazon.com, FindArticles, Yahoo! News, CiteULike, etc. for the auto-fill feature. You can create bibliographies of books, magazine articles, newspaper articles, journal articles, web sites, movies, etc.

The beauty and usefulness of the site is that once you have keyed in all the required details, either using the auto-fill option or manually, you can switch from one style from another just by selecting the style. You can save the bibliographies to your account or you can download it as an .rtf file. Creating an account is easy and this service is free.

Given below are the samples that I created and downloaded in the different citation styles:

MLA Style

1. Aalst, Wil Van Der, Laura Maruster, and Ton Weijters. “Workflow Mining: Discovering Process Models from Event Logs.” IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, 16.9(2004): 1128-1142.
2. Berger, Carol, Elizabeth Creamer, and Peggy Meszaros. Reconfiguring the Firewall: Recruiting Women to Information Technology across Cultures and Continents. Natick: Ak Peters, Ltd., 2007.
3. Leon, Alexis. Software Configuration Management Handbook, Second Edition. Norwood: Artech House Publishers, 2004.
4. Leon, Alexis. “Alexis’s Ark.” Alexis’s Ark. 20 Oct 2007 .

APA Style

1. Aalst, W., Maruster, L., & Weijters, T. (2004). Workflow Mining: Discovering Process Models from Event Logs. IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering, 16(9), 1128-1142.
2. Berger, C., Creamer, E., & Meszaros, P. (2007). Reconfiguring the Firewall: Recruiting Women to Information Technology across Cultures and Continents. Natick: Ak Peters, Ltd..
3. Leon, A. (2004). Software Configuration Management Handbook, Second Edition. Norwood: Artech House Publishers.
4. Leon, A. (Alexis’s Ark). Retrieved October 20, 2007, from http://www.alexisleon.com/

Chicago Style

1. Aalst, Wil Van Der, Laura Maruster, and Ton Weijters. “Workflow Mining: Discovering Process Models from Event Logs.” IEEE Transactions on Knowledge and Data Engineering 16 (2004): 1128-1142.
2. Berger, Carol, Elizabeth Creamer, and Peggy Meszaros. Reconfiguring the Firewall: Recruiting Women to Information Technology across Cultures and Continents. Natick: Ak Peters, Ltd., 2007.
3. Leon, Alexis. Software Configuration Management Handbook, Second Edition. Norwood: Artech House Publishers, 2004.
4. Leon, Alexis. “Alexis’s Ark.” Alexis’s Ark. http://www.alexisleon.com/ (accessed October 20, 2007).

BibMe was initially developed as part of a Software Development project course in the Information Systems department of Carnegie Mellon University. And the people behind this wonderful website are Alvin Fong, Kevin Liebler, Korina Loumidi, Saurabh Mundra, Nitasha Singh and Ben Tucker. Hats off to you!!! Thank you very much for providing this wonderful service and that too for free. I wish you success and fame.

Today with computers becoming part of our lives, all of us have to do a lot of typing. I have observed many people using the keyboard and found that the majority use only 1, 2, 3 or maximum 4 fingers to type. They also have to look at the keyboard while typing to type without mistakes.

Touch-typing is the art of typing without looking at the keyboard. When you are a touch typist you will use all your fingers to type. You will use the correct fingers to strike the correct keys. You will increase your typing speed and your productivity. You will reduce the number of typing errors. You will do all these without looking at the keyboard–that is the beauty of touch-typing. Till now, mostly stenographers, personal assistants, secretaries and other data entry operators have practiced touch-typing.

In today’s competitive world where everyone is required to work on a computer, the single finger or two finger typing will not do. Every one who uses the computer (especially the information worker who uses it for performing almost 80% of his/her tasks) needs to learn how to type correctly—i.e., learn touch-typing. Touch typists can do more work in fewer hours, giving them extra time to devote to other tasks as their typing speed will increase many times.

Touch-typing is a skill like riding a bicycle–a skill that can be learned and can be perfected and improved by practice. So once you have learned touch-typing in the correct way, the more you practice, the faster and better you get. Touch-typing will improve your productivity. As you reach higher speeds, you will be able to finish your typing tasks–composing an email, writing a letter, posting an entry in your blog, completing a class assignment or preparing a project report–in much lesser time.

When you are touch-typing, you need not look at the keyboard. This will free your mind and help you in better organizing and structuring the material that you are typing. Another advantage of touch-typing is that it frees the eyes from the keyboard.

The single, two or three finger typists are typing incorrectly–they are not using the correct fingers to tap the keys. So even if they have been typing for many years, there is a limit to which their typing speed will increase. Touch-typing is the correct way of typing where you use the correct fingers to tap the various keys.

Touch-typing has many advantages. One, once you have learned touch-typing, the more you type your typing speed will increase. Second, since you are typing in the correct method, the typing load is evenly distributed between all the fingers and so the chances of typing related injuries are less. Third, since you don’t have to look at the keyboard while typing, the eyestrain is reduced.

So by learning touch-typing, you can increase your typing efficiency. You get more time for other activities. You will also straining your fingers and eyes to a lesser degree, which reduces fatigue and tiredness. You can use the time you save to do your favorite activities.

Typing Tutor by Media Art is an excellent software program that helps one learn touch typing easily, effectively and efficiently while having fun. The creators of this software have taken great care in making the software as user-friendly as possible. The interface is intuitive and pleasing and is a marvel of aesthetic and ergonomic excellence.

Typing Tutor consists of 40 basic lessons, a word and a sentence drill and 16 sample texts. The 40 basic lessons teach touch typing of alphabets, numbers and the special characters. The word and sentence drills help one to improve the typing skills learned in the first 40 lessons. The 16 sample texts simulate the real world typing experience. You can create your own lessons using the “Advanced Lessons” feature. After completing each exercise, you will get a result card showing your speed, accuracy, problem fingers and difficult keys, etc.

Typing Tutor can be used by more than that one person and the program keeps track of each person’s progress. Training reports, which gives the lessons covered, typing speed, accuracy, etc., can be obtained for each person.

This excellent software offers numerous games that make learning fun while improving the typing skills. There are also games that teach the proper usage of the mouse. Another advantage of this software is that almost all the features are customizable and can be set to suit the individual preferences of the learner. You can buy the product from Media Art’s web site.

Visual Thesaurus is an innovative product that improves your productivity and quality of work while improving your knowledge. Using this product is a unique experience and you will find that writing and learning new words will never be the same again.

Visual Thesaurus uses the revolutionary Thinkmap software as a visualization engine. Thinkmap, which excels at displaying relationships, is ideal for displaying the relationships between words. Thinkmap gives users the ability to retrieve a result set from large data sets. The visualization mechanisms help users understand the composition and structure of the data that is being examined.

Visual Thesaurus is a dictionary and thesaurus with an intuitive interface that encourages exploration and learning. Visual Thesaurus is a marvelous way to improve your vocabulary and your understanding of the English language.

The Visual Thesaurus has over 145,000 English words and 115,000 meanings. The way in which the related words are presented is what makes Visual Thesaurus unique product. Visual Thesaurus’s intuitive interface helps you find the right words through their semantic relationship with other words and meanings.

The pronunciation feature incorporated in Visual Thesaurus helps in learning the correct pronunciation. You can choose between British and American accents. This product helps in understanding the relationships between English words and meanings. In addition to synonyms, the Visual Thesaurus shows 16 kinds of semantic relationships.

From any word, you can initiate an Internet search for either web pages or images. The Visual Thesaurus suggests alternatives so you can find the right word even when you’re not sure of the spelling. The Visual Thesaurus allows you fine control over your settings. You control font size, the types of relationships that are available, content filtering, and more.

Visual Thesaurus is available in two editions—desktop and online. The desktop edition can be installed on your PC and needs and Internet connection only for audio pronunciations and expanding a word search to the Internet. The online edition does not require any software to be installed, but needs an Internet connection. Both the desktop and the online editions allow you to filter content at four different levels.

This amazing product is an excellent companion for writers, students, journalists, teachers and word lovers. It will help you in finding the exact word you are looking for, it will assist you in writing better, it will help you in seeing and understanding the connections and relationships between words, it will get the help you in finding the correct synonyms and antonyms, it will help you in improving your vocabulary, it will help you in exploring new words, and the list is endless…

This product is an excellent tool for improving your writing quality and productivity. This fantastic product is a must for all who are serious about their writing and want to improve their writing skills.

You can try and buy the product from the Visual Thesaurus Home.

This is a book that talks about the craft of writing from a master craftsman who has written more than 50 bestselling, novels. He has also written many novellas, short stories, essays, and articles.

In this book King describes his life, his writing and how to improve both. In King’s case, the writing career and the personal life are tightly intertwined, which makes reading more interesting as the book is replete with personal details and anecdotes as it is with knowledge and wisdom that one gains through extensive practice of one’s craft. King’s passion for life and writing shines through each and every page of the book.

The book is divided into 5 sections—C.V., What Writing Is, Toolbox, On Writing, and On Living: A Postscript. It also has two appendices—Door Shut, Door Open (an example on editing and rewriting) and A Booklist (a list of books recommended by the author).

The fist section—C.V.—contains King’s childhood memories and his growth as a writer from a novice teenage writer to a novelist while struggling to make a living. It contains glimpses and snapshots of King’s childhood, teenage, and youth. King describes how, his mother, brother and he struggled to meet the ends with his mom’s paycheck and how he became interested in writing and what sort of writing he did during his childhood, and teenage and how it influenced him. It describes, when and how King met his future wife and how they fell in love and are still in love. The section ends when King’s writing career is poised to take off—he has published a few novels, had become a drug addict and got out of addiction and has realized that “Life isn’t a support system for art. It’s the other way round.”

In the second section—What Writing Is—King tells you that it is telepathy. He then goes on to explain his theory. In the section named ‘Toolbox,’ King uses the analogy of a toolbox and its contents to explain the skills needed for a writer. The cardinal principal is that the more one practices the better his writing becomes. To quote the author, “If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write.” King’s toolbox for writers contains tools like vocabulary, grammar, hard work, and so on. He gives some general rules about his likes and dislikes, what is good and what is not (avoid passive voice, eliminate the use of adverbs, etc.), but points the readers to Elements of Style by Strunk & White for more on grammar and usage.

The fourth section titled ‘On Writing’ is the heart of the book. This is where King explains the intricacies of writing—writing fiction. Readers get advise on how to create an environment that promotes writing, how to get ideas for writing, how to begin the story, how to develop the characters, how much details is required, why it’s important to tell the truth, how to prevent writer’s block, how to edit and rewrite, how to find a select group of reviewers, how to handle criticism and so on. It also has a section on literary agents and how to find them. This section, like all sections of the book, is full of anecdotes, real world examples, and experiences.

The final section (On Living: A Postscript) is about his accident that nearly killed him in 1999. He was hit by a van during his morning walk. He had chipped his spine in several places, had multiple fractures on both legs and hip and almost bled to death. He survived and slowly got back to his life and completed the book—On Writing—which he had just started before the accident.

According to King, “Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink. Drink and be filled up.”

This is one of the best books on writing you will ever find. It teaches you a lot of things not only about writing but also about life. King never assumes the role of a teacher; he just tells his story and shares his impressions and his opinions. But in that process, he imparts a lot of knowledge and wisdom to the reader. This book must be on the desktop of every writer—novice and accomplished, beginner and expert. When you are stuck, when you need inspiration or motivation, read this book and you will find what you need. I recommend this book to all writers.

Book Details:

• Author: Stephen King
• Publisher: Scribner
• Year: 2000
• ISBN: 0684853523
• Cover & Page Count: Hardcover, 288 Pages

You can order online at Amazon.

Copyright © Braintree Books. Reproduced with permission.

There are hundreds of usage and style books available in the market that teaches one how to write correctly in English, how to cite references, how to make the writing interesting and error free. The most comprehensive ones are tomes like The Chicago Manual of Style that run into thousands of pages. But among the myriad of the style and usage guides there is a small volume (105 pages) that has helped millions of people to write better.

This book—Elements of Style—teaches one the basics of grammar and usage in a very short time. According to Boston Globe, “No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume.”

The book contains five sections in addition to a foreword, an introduction, an afterword, a glossary, and an index. The foreword is written by Roger Angell, stepson of E. B. White and an important figure in the world of American letters, where he recalls his memories about his stepfather and his writing habits.

The introduction is the one written by E. B. White for the 1979 edition. The introduction is an excellent essay on how to write effectively. White recounts his experiences with William Strunk, who taught him English and how he was entrusted with the task of revising and updating the little textbook written, published, and used by Professor Strunk for teaching English.

According to Professor Strunk, “Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell. This book will help you to do just that—to make every word tell.

The first part of the book is titled ‘The Elementary Rules of Usage.’ It contains rules for the correct usage. Each rule is illustrated with examples and made clear using explanations and comments. The second part contains elementary principles of composition. It contains principles that will make one’s writing clear, concise, interesting, and precise.

Part III titled ‘A Few Matters of Form,’ deals with the correct use like colloquialisms, exclamations, heading, hyphens, margins, numerals, etc. The fourth part explains the correct usage of commonly misused words and expressions.

Part V (An Approach to Style) is about writing that is captivating, interesting and correct. It contains advice drawn from a writer’s—E. B. White’s—experience of writing. It contains invaluable wisdom on how to use words and sentences to create magic. This chapter is reveals the secrets of the great writers and what differentiates masters of the craft from the rest.

The afterword by Charles Osgood explains why this small book should be a constant companion of all writers. The glossary contains a description of the technical terms with examples. The index is thorough and helps in improving the readability.

This book should be the daily companion for anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who write at all.

Book Details:

• Author: William Strunk Jr. & E. B. White
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
• Edition & Year: Fourth, 1999
• ISBN: 0205313426
• Cover & Page Count: Hardcover, 105 Pages

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Copyright © Braintree Books. Reproduced with permission.

Since its first publication in 1976, On Writing Well by William Zinsser has become a classic guide on writing nonfiction. It has sold millions of copies and still is the number one book on writing nonfiction. According to New York Times, “On Writing Well is a bible for a generation of writers looking for clues to clean, compelling prose.”

The book has four parts in addition to an introduction, a bibliography and an index. The first part—Principles—contains seven chapters and deals with important aspects of writing like how to write clear, simple, and concise prose, the need and importance of reviewing, editing, and rewriting, how to avoid clutter, the importance of mastering the fundamentals, how to identify your audience and write for them, how to find the right words and where to find them, and so on. This section contains one of the most useful advices of this book:

The point is that you have to strip your writing down before you can build it back up. You must know what the essential tools are and what job they were designed to do. Extending the metaphor of carpentry, it’s first necessary to be able to saw wood neatly and to drive nails. Later you can bevel the edges or add elegant finials, if that’s your taste. But you can never forget that you are practicing a craft that’s based on certain principles. If the nails are weak, your house will collapse. If your verbs are weak and your syntax is rickety, your sentences will fall apart.

I’ll admit that certain nonfiction writers, like Tom Wolfe and Norman Mailer, have built some remarkable houses. But these are writers who spent years learning their craft, and when at last they raised their fanciful turrets and hanging gardens, to the surprise of all of us who never dreamed of such ornamentation, they knew what they were doing. Nobody becomes Tom Wolfe overnight, not even Tom Wolfe.

The second part—Methods—deals with threes topics: unity, the lead and the ending, bits & pieces. In this part Zinsser explains one of the most fundamental truths of writing—“You learn to write by writing.” The first chapter in this section deals with the importance of unity—unity of pronoun, unity of tense, unity of mood, etc.—and why it is important to choose one unity and stick to it. The second chapter discusses the importance of leads (beginning) and ending. The author illustrates the various methods for writing captivating and interesting leads. He also tells us when and how to stop for maximum effect. In the chapter titled ‘Bits & Pieces’ the author deals with the correct usage of verbs, adverbs, adjectives, qualifiers, punctuation, and more. This is one of the best chapters of the book.

Part III (Forms), deals with the various forms of writing. The forms covered are nonfiction as literature, writing about people, places, yourself, science and technology, business, sports, arts, humor, etc. Each chapter gives valuable advice on how to make the writing interesting, how to find the right tone and mood and tips and techniques that the author has learned in his long and diverse writing career.

The fourth part—Attitudes—deals with issues like how to sound natural, how to handle fear, how to find confidence, and how to enjoy the writing process. It also discusses why it is important to write (at least during the initial stage of each writing project) without thinking about selling or getting published. According to the author:

Writing is related to character. If your values are sound, your writing will be sound. It all begins with intention. Figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it, and work your way with humanity and integrity to the completed article. Then you’ll have something to sell.

The chapter, A Writer’s Decisions, deals with the different decisions that a writer has to make during the writing process. With clear examples, the author illustrates how to create the leads, how to organize the content, what to include and what to omit, how to end, and so on. This part also has a chapter on how to write family histories and memoirs. The final chapter of the book is about how one becomes a writer, the importance of editors, and how to work with editors to improve the quality of your work.

This is a must read for every person, irrespective of the amount of writing he does. It should be a constant companion of all writers. The amount of wisdom, wisdom gained from years of practicing the craft, is invaluable and will help every reader to become a better writer. I strongly recommend this book to all and I end with another quote from the book:

Living is the trick. Writers who write interestingly tend to be men and women who keep themselves interested. That’s almost the whole point of becoming a writer. I’ve used writing to give myself an interesting life and a continuing education. If you write about subjects you think you would enjoy knowing about, your enjoyment will show in what you write. Learning is a tonic.

Book Details:

• Author: William Zinsser
• Publisher: Collins
• Year: 2006 (30^th Anniversary Edition)
• ISBN-10: 0060891548
• ISBN-13: 978-0060891541
• Cover & Page Count: Paperback, 336 Pages

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