P. T. Barber
2016
This book provides a new, practical guide for those who want to understand how effective writing is achieved. You know a passage sounds dull, you know a story didn’t end right—but do you know how to fix these? Building on observations of how human brains are built for absorbing information, the author reveals the internal engines driving the composition of interesting fiction and non-fiction: successful (and unsuccessful) structuring of plots, characters, and symbolism; apt and vivid use of language and imagery; and even the sources of disastrously unintended humor. By making the cognitive basis clear and constantly exploring the alternative possibilities, this book shows how great writers have made their writing so great and what would-be writers should keep firmly in mind to emulate them. Since the principles are the same for both fact and fiction, and for old literature and new, the examples are drawn from the literature of a wide array of periods, genres, and cultures, from Aeschylus to Zorro, both to demonstrate universality and to address readers with a variety of backgrounds and interests. This book will be of use to writers of novels and short stories of any genre; teachers and students in writing classes; scientific writers who want to keep their readers awake; teachers and students of ancient and modern world literature (including English); screen writers, playwrights, and people creating any sort of theater (including choreography and cinematography); designers of advertisements; linguists; and cognitive scientists.
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