Writing

I have found a book that I want to recommend to the world. After I write this here blog, I'm going to pop over to Amazon.com and review it heartily.
It was available at my local public library and is entitled The National Writer's Association Guide to Writing for Beginners. It was written by Sandy Whelchel, the executive director of the National Writers Association. It's a small volume, just 94 pages plus a few appendices. I'm up to page 26, and I have already learned so much! Each chapter is short, easy to understand, and has one or two exercises that are actually fun to do.

I'm trying to write (or work on) something every day, and I'm trying to read more. I've been reading more of the magazines that litter my house. Wow, there's all kinds of cool stuff in those magazines. Maybe that's why we've been spending our hard-earned money on them.

Sandy claims that the techniques to improve fiction writing will also work for non-fiction. I don't read fiction much, so I will be writing mostly non-fiction.

One of the things Sandy discussess for improving fiction is the use of the four-way sentence to hook the reader. So, here are some four-way sentences I wrote as an exercise.
Mary watched breathlessly as her grandson Jeff tore open the brightly-wrapped birthday gift. "Cool!" he squealed, pulling on the hat and mittens she had knitted. "Thanks, Nana! These are awesome." (Lead-in for a book of knitting patterns designed for boys.)
Johnny slammed the book shut and threw it down on his desk, his handsome face a mask of disgust. "Another frickin' fifty bucks wasted. And this is supposed to be an advanced book? There's nothing in it!" (Lead-in for an article about technical manuals.)
Lynn sat up groggily in bed, blinking her dry blue eyes, barely able to think. I need some water... or Gatorade... and I've GOT to stop this diarrhea! (Lead-in to an article about gluten sensitivity.)
Jim grinned broadly as he shook hands with his new manager in the interview room. (Lead-in to an article about how computer people need to learn to market themselves.)

So, hey, it's a start. Maybe you'll see these words in articles in Reader's Digest some day!