Technique in Nonfiction – The Tools of the Trade (2nd Edition)

About this book

What Tools is About

Whether you’re doing a scholarly work or a textbook, shooting for a trade book on the New York Times bestseller list or an article in The Atlantic–it’s the same challenge: writing well. Really well. No matter what you have to say, good writing helps you get there.

Tools of the Trade focuses on the four keys to writing good nonfiction: heightening the reader’s interest; increasing their understanding & remembering. And developing the relationship––while avoiding the no-no’s The techniques in the book are designed to help you accomplish these things.

A Tradebook & a Textbook

Tools is a tradebook–for everyone who wants to make their writing glow. For those who want to use it in their teaching, we’ve also done an online  Instructors‘ & Students‘ Book, with realworld activities, and range of finger exercises.

The examples in Tools come from the works of the masters, including articles from the best of print journalism–like the NY Times & the NY  Review of Books, the Economist & the New Yorker. Plus many years as a professional editor. As well as Darian’s writing & those of his students.

Tools of the Trade contains all the writing techniques you’ve ever come across in your reading–whether you recognized them or not.  In places, it goes right down to the cellular level. Yet, it’s not academic. For its purpose is to help you take the next step–or the next hundred steps–on the road to great writing.

Who is Darian? In addition to a being a professional editor, Steven Darian has been a teacher (Columbia, Penn, & Rutgers).  And has written a dozen books: scholarly & textbooks; novels  & popular nonfiction.

 PREFACE

I  AUDIENCE, AUDIENCE, & ABOVE ALL…                   

Kinds of Audiences. Genres. Point-of-View & Assumptions. Drowning in Details. Writing     Beneath the Skin

 II STYLE IS SUBSTANCE                                                    

Use Conversational Language: Actives & Passives. Contractions

Sensitivity & Emotion–Once More, With Feeling: Sensitivity.Borrowing from Literature. The Warm Fuzzies. Right in the Gut: Things that Make You Cry. Sadness

Social Science Style

Or: Beware the Evil “I”

Interest & Enjoyment. Drama, Intensity, & a Bit of Mystery

Elegance

Humor

Satire, Irony, & Parody

Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow: Time & Tense as Style

Speaking versus

III  WORDS: FIRST, THE CAVIAR

Appealing to the Senses: Using Concrete over Abstract Words. Using Sense Verbs.

Bon Mots, Mal Mots, & High-Impact Words

Historical, Literary,  & Cultural Allusions.

Folkwords & Latinisms. Foreign Words & Phrases

Cowboyisms & Coinings. King Jamesiansms & Variant Spellingz

Euphemisms

Verbs: Verbing/Verb It. Empty Verbs. A Lesson in Creativity

The Death of Grammar: a Noun is a Verb is an Adjective

Texture: Modifiers. Underwriting & Overwriting. Weakeners & Softeners.

Emphasizers: Typographic & Verbal. Intensifiers. Warnings & Alarm Bells

Paraphrasing, Synonyms, & Clarifiers

Disclaimers, Speculations, & Imaginaries

IV WORDS: THEN THE CAVEATS

Buzz Words, Slang, & Jargon

Formality: Middle English, Anyone? Informalisms & Register

He/She, Him/Her, Himself/Herself–& Their Alternatives

Beware the Wicked Which, of Whom we Speak.Pusillanimous Prepositions. Where Oh Where

Impersonal Pronouns & Other Impersonalities. Throw Away Your Crutches

Definitions

Beyond Measure: The Language of Quantifying

V LIFE SENTENCES

Any Questions? And How!

Mild Imperatives

Contradiction & Comparison

Something Old, Something New

Sentence Fragments

Elliptical Sentences

Inverted Sentences

Punctuation

Snip Snip: Reduction. Simplistics. Empty Phrases There is/There are… Shorthands

The Subject––Verb Disease

Sentence Length. OR: How Long O, Lord?

VI  CUTTING UP THE PIE: PARAGRAPHS. HEADINGS & TITLES. BEGINNINGS & ENDINGS

Meet the Paragraph. When & How to Divide

Beginnings & Endings. Openings & Closings. Scenarios

Prefaces & Introductions

Richness & Information Density (ID)

Digressors

Headings & Titles

Design: White Space

Lists & Itemizers. Pairing. Some Functions of Lists. Lists as Style. Lists as Information

Ties that Bind: Transitions, Segues, & Missing Links

Summaries & Mini-Summaries

VII THE BIG PICTURE 

Architecture

Semantic Frameworks

Choosing the Title

Where Else to Look. Navigating the Text

Reminders & Forecasting Statements

Organizing the Material: The Ground Shifts

VIII SOME WRITERS’ TECHNIQUES

The Rhythm Method of Writing: Rhythm, Repetition, & Parallelism. Rippling. Alliteration. Lack of Parallelism. Negative Repetition

Could You Give Me an Example, Please?

Extension and Aphorisms

Well-Known Lines from Literature & Film; Songs, FairyTales, & Nursery Rhymes

Ambiguity & Double Entendre

It’s People, Stupid! Using Dialog–Real & Imagined. The Magic of Place. Let the Reader In

Prepositions as Style

Figurative Language: Similes & Metaphors. Reification.Personification & Animation. Oxymoron

IX  QUOTING, REFERRING, & CITING SOURCES IN THE

     TEXT: A SLIGHTLY HERETICAL VIEW

Quoting: A Little Twist

Referring

Citing Sources in the Text: A Slightly Heretical View

Using Online Sources

Bibliographies: Yes or No?

X  REVISING, DEVISING, & CONNIVING

The Big Picture

Relating the Parts to the Whole

Understanding & Remembering

Relating the Parts to Each Other: Transitions

How Interesting is It–Really? Richness

Playing with Language

The Sound on the Page. A Little Fine-Tuning

Vary? Good! Vary Good

The Totality of Style. Overkill

Tell Me a Story: Themes & Plotz