Information: 1st Macmillan paperbacks ed. Includes bibliographies and index.

Loose, baggy sentences - Faulty connections - III-matched partners - Mismanaged numbers and references - Problems with punctuation - The parts of a sentence.

More than ever in this completely updated edition, The Elements of Expression helps word users "light up the cosmos or the written page or the face across the table" as they seek the radiance of expressiveness—the vivid expression of thoughts, feelings, and observations. Nothing kills radiance like the murky, generic language dominating today's talk, airwaves, and posts. It tugs at our every sentence, but using it to express anything beyond the ordinary is like flapping the tongue to escape gravity. The Elements of Expression offers an adventurous and inspiring flight into words that truly share what's percolating in our minds. Here writers, presenters, students, bloggers—even well intentioned "Mad Men"—will discover language to convey precise feelings, move audiences, delight and persuade. No snob or scold, the acclaimed word-maven Arthur Plotnik explores the full range of expressiveness, from playful "tough talk" to finely wrought literature, with hundreds of rousing examples. Confessing that we are all "like a squid in its ink" when first groping for luminous expression, he shines his amiable wit on the elements leading, ultimately, to language of "fissionable intensity."

Essays from twenty-seven leading book editors: “Honest and unflinching accounts from publishing insiders . . . a valuable primer on the field.” —Publishers Weekly Editing is an invisible art in which the very best work goes undetected. Editors strive to create books that are enlightening, seamless, and pleasurable to read, all while giving credit to the author. This makes it all the more difficult to truly understand the range of roles they inhabit while shepherding a project from concept to publication. What Editors Do gathers essays from twenty-seven leading figures in book publishing about their work. Representing both large houses and small, and encompassing trade, textbook, academic, and children’s publishing, the contributors make the case for why editing remains a vital function to writers—and readers—everywhere. Ironically for an industry built on words, there has been a scarcity of written guidance on how to approach the work of editing. Serving as a compendium of professional advice and a portrait of what goes on behind the scenes, this book sheds light on how editors acquire books, what constitutes a strong author-editor relationship, and the editor’s vital role at each stage of the publishing process—a role that extends far beyond marking up the author’s text. This collection treats editing as both art and craft, and also as a career. It explores how editors balance passion against the economic realities of publishing—and shows why, in the face of a rapidly changing publishing landscape, editors are more important than ever. “Authoritative, entertaining, and informative.” —Copyediting

"Without peer." "Trust me -- it works." "Just the right blend of rigor, encouragement, and fun." "Both useful and a pleasure." "A bounty of usable information." Those are just a handful of raves for The Elements of Writing (previously published as The Big Book of Writing), the only comprehensive system for writing well. Building on the latest research on learning and the brain, The Elements offers a complete apprenticeship on writing. Every skill in this book has been tested in college and high school classrooms, business and nonprofit seminars, and coaching sessions with authors. The Elements of Writing is filled with case studies. In each one, a master of writing shows you a "trick of the trade." So this book is really a group effort, with contributions from the ancients (Homer, Aristotle), timeless writers (Shakespeare, Twain, Charlotte Bronte, Crane, Miller, Hemingway, Henry Roth, Robert Penn Warren), modern masters (Capote, Kundera, Caro, Updike, McPhee, Martin Amis, Tom Wolfe, Gladwell, Agassi, O'Brien, and Zadie Smith, Mernissi), historic figures (Lincoln, Martin Luther King), and classic films ("Casablanca," "Vertigo," and "Hannah and Her Sisters"), and more. People in all fields -- high school, higher education, journalism and publishing, business and government -- have discovered the power of this unique system. Whether you're in business, school, government or nonprofit agencies, or journalism/blogging or publishing, The Big Book offers a powerful to improve your writing right away. Developed by author and teacher Charles Euchner, The Elements of Writing draws lessons from the masters to show the skills and "tricks of the trade" you need to write with clarity and power. The Elements also uses the latest research on learning and the brain to help you manage the creative process. Euchner is the author or editor of ten books, most recently the acclaimed "Nobody Turn Me Around: " A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington" (Beacon Press, 2010). Euchner has also written a trilogy of the world of modern sports ("Playing the Field," "The Last Nine Innings," and "Little League, Big Dreams"), studies of grassroots politics ("Urban Policy Reconsidered," with Steve McGovern, and "Extraordinary Politics"), and works on regional policy and planning (the two-part "Governing Greater Boston" series).

Exploring Movie Construction & Production contains eight chapters of the major areas of film construction and production. The discussion covers theme, genre, narrative structure, character portrayal, story, plot, directing style, cinematography, and editing. Important terminology is defined and types of analysis are discussed and demonstrated. An extended example of how a movie description reflects the setting, narrative structure, or directing style is used throughout the book to illustrate building blocks of each theme. This approach to film instruction and analysis has proved beneficial to increasing students¿ learning, while enhancing the creativity and critical thinking of the student.