Best of
Writing

1981

On Stories: And Other Essays on Literature


C.S. Lewis - 1981
    . . But I think it is sometimes done—or very, very nearly done—in stories.”C.S. Lewis is widely known for his fiction, especially his stories of science fiction and fantasy, for which he was a pioneering author in an age of realistic fiction. In On Stories, he lays out his theories and philosophy on fiction over the course of nine essays, including “On Stories,” “The Death of Words,” and “On Three Ways of Writing for Children.” In addition to these essays, On Stories collects eleven pieces of Lewis’s writing that were unpublished during his lifetime. Along with discussing his own fiction, Lewis reviewed and critiqued works by many of his famous peers, including George Orwell, Charles Williams, Rider Haggard, and his good friend J.R.R. Tolkien, providing a wide-ranging look at what fiction means and how to craft it from one of the masters of his day.

Style: Toward Clarity and Grace


Joseph M. Williams - 1981
    A logical, expert, easy-to-use plan for achieving excellence in expression, Style offers neither simplistic rules nor endless lists of dos and don'ts. Rather, Joseph Williams explains how to be concise, how to be focused, how to be organized. Filled with realistic examples of good, bad, and better writing, and step-by-step strategies for crafting a sentence or organizing a paragraph, Style does much more than teach mechanics: it helps anyone who must write clearly and persuasively transform even the roughest of drafts into a polished work of clarity, coherence, impact, and personality."Buy Williams's book. And dig out from storage your dog-eared old copy of The Elements of Style. Set them side by side on your reference shelf."—Barbara Walraff, Atlantic"Let newcoming writers discover this, and let their teachers and readers rejoice. It is a practical, disciplined text that is also a pleasure to read."—Christian Century"An excellent book....It provides a sensible, well-balanced approach, featuring prescriptions that work."—Donald Karzenski, Journal of Business Communication"Intensive fitness training for the expressive mind."—Booklist(The college textbook version, Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, 9th edition, is available from Longman. ISBN 9780321479358.)

The Christian Imagination: The Practice of Faith in Literature and Writing


Leland Ryken - 1981
    This anthology covers all of the major topics that fall within this subject and includes essays and excerpts from fifty authors, including C.S. Lewis, Flannery O’Connor, Dorothy Sayers, and Frederick Buechner.

Telling Lies for Fun & Profit


Lawrence Block - 1981
    It is a must read for anyone serious about writing or understanding how the process works.

Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Folklore in the Literature of Childhood


Jane Yolen - 1981
    Originally published in hardcover by Philomel and then brought out a few years later in a trade paperback, this book of essays has become well identified with me. And the phrase, "Touch magic, pass it on" shows up in the oddest places. After five years out of print, the book in an expanded and revised edition has been reissued by the folklore publisher, August House. The new section is called "Touchstones" and has six new essays: "Fabling to the Near Night," "Killing the Other," "Throwing Shadows," "Literature As a Social Disease," the eponymous "Touchstones," "An Experiential Act," and an updated and revised Preface. - Jane Yolen

Gates of Excellence: On Reading and Writing Books for Children


Katherine Paterson - 1981
    A collection of essays relating to the author's experience as a writer of novels for children, and her ideas on children's literature in general.

Creating Short Fiction: The Classic Guide to Writing Short Fiction


Damon Knight - 1981
    Newly revised and expanded for this Third Edition, Creating Short Fiction is a popular and widely trusted guide to writing short stories of originality, durability, and quality. Celebrated short-story author and writing instructor Knight also includes many examples and exercises that have been effective in classrooms and workshops everywhere.

Energy of Delusion: A Book on Plot


Victor Shklovsky - 1981
    Conflating a biography and a criticism of Tolstoy, Shklovsky uses this great author to make a case for a revolutionary way of reading and appreciating literature.

Revising Business Prose


Richard A. Lanham - 1981
     In business writing, where a first draft often emerges quickly under the pressures of facts, figures, and deadlines, revision is typically the major part of a writing task, and collaborative revision often produces the final document. Revising Business Prose provides detailed revision guidance and a collaborative approach to writing easily applied to writing in business, industry, government, and academics. Based on the premise that bad writing in organizations imitates the bureaucratic style The Official Style, as it's called here this book shows readers how to transform stilted, dense prose into plain English. For anyone interested in the revision process in every business writing context.

The Modern Rhyming Dictionary


Gene Lees - 1981
    Gene Lees' bestseller for songwriters has been revised! In addition to providing fascinating, creative and clear techniques for writing lyrics, this edition now includes: a new foreword by renowned songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman; a new chapter called "Tattered Standards " which outlines the lack of literacy in certain modern songs and shows you how to avoid it; a new chapter called "The Words You Choose " which examines why words from some language families are subconsciously more appealing than those from others; and much more! Invaluable to the beginner, this book will also prove beneficial to professionals, poets, linguists and teachers.

Style: Ten lessons in Clarity and Style


Joseph M. Williams - 1981
    

Laubach Way to Reading: Skill Book 1 Sounds and Names of Letters


Frank C. Laubach - 1981
    

Adam's & Victor's Principles of Neurology


Raymond D. Adams - 1981
    It is the standard text in the field for residents and most popular reference for students and clinicians alike. This edition features extensive updating and modernization of all treatment sections,and the addition of editor Allan Ropper. New information is included on mitochondrial disorders,immune mechanisms of nerve and muscle disease,AIDS,as well as genetic and neurological disorders.

Problem Solving Strategies For Writing


Linda Flower - 1981
    Flower's familiar cognitive approach is complemented in this edition by the new attention to the social factors that influence writers.