A Writer's Tool Kit: 12 Proven Ways You Can Make Your Writing Stronger--Today!

By Carroll Dale Short

Book Overview

Analyzing his own writing and that of his teachers, and reflecting on the writing advice he had been given over the years, Carroll Dale Short's epiphany was the recognition of a dozen practical fundamentals of good writing. As one would expect from the author of The Shining Shining Path (available from NewSouth Books), the book is also fun to read. Drawing upon example after example, Short reveals the shortcuts and techniques of strong writing, providing easy ways to use transitions, enhance narrative sequence, and spice up dialogue. Reading this tool kit will improve any writer, from expert to novice.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1588380459
• ISBN13: 9781588380456
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: NewSouth Books
• Length: 174 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.9" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

A Tool Kit with real tools--

A practical, yet inspiring read that gives the tools it promises to promising writers and old hands, alike, in an engaging and clearly understood manner. I had it in my car to read on the way home (I wasn't driving). Found myself looking forward to my time with it and was a little sad to reach the end. I highly recommend.

A Writer's Tool Kit

An excellent book for writers in the revision stage. It's not comprehensive but it does a great job of covering 12 specific issues, in a very concise manner with good examples.

The Right Tools

Unlike the grand majority of "How to Write" books that have crossed my desk over the years, Carroll Dale Short's little book is not only immensely useful but also a true pleasure to read. A Writer's Tool Kit contains practical suggestions and guidelines that will aid the student writer, and experienced writers will find themselves charmed by the observations of a learned (but not pretentious) author. My recommendation is to always Keep this one within arm's reach!

'Entertaining, Insightful, Eminently Practical...'

"There are a ton of hard-and-fast rules about writing, but you won't find any of them in this book," says Carroll Dale Short, author of A Writer's Tool Kit. What you will find, however, is entertaining, insightful and eminently practical advice to writers of any age crafted around 12 basic principles, or "tools." This is not a book about grammar. Rather, it's a book designed to engage both experienced and less-experienced writers, pointing the way to a more finely honed craft. Short gives example after example of dismal or marginal writing transformed into something refreshing and clear, as well as examples of good writing illustrating techniques used successfully by some of our best authors. Throughout, Short writes with a uniquely cheerful and supportive voice. He dedicates his book to a favorite teacher, and readers are very likely to feel a similar attachment to Short after finishing this neatly packaged, 174-page paperback.--Joanna Virkler, Charlotte (N.C.) Leader-News

Invaluable reading for all writers striving to improve

Carroll Short's A Writer's Tool Kit: 12 Proven Ways You Can Make Your Writing Stronger - Today! is an immensely useful, accessible, and practical guide for beginning and experienced writers alike. Chapters cover a variety of ways to trim down and spice up one's grammar and prose, from pruning excess pronouns to using narrative sequence to make a story flow better, to bringing spoken dialogue to zest-filled life. Filled with examples and just plain solid advice, A Writer's Tool Kit is invaluable reading for all writers striving to improve their personal or professional wordsmithing abilities!