Spunk & Bite

Spunk & Bite

Author: Arthur Plotnik

Publisher: Random House Reference Publishing

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Presents a comprehensive guide to creating winning manuscripts that will sell, and provide tips and techniques on language, dialogue, diction and more.


The Elements of Expression

The Elements of Expression

Author: Arthur Plotnik

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-06-01

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 1936740249

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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."


Better Than Great

Better Than Great

Author: Arthur Plotnik

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2011-07-12

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 1573446815

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A veritable "tko of terminology," Better Than Great is the essential guide for describing the extraordinary — the must have reference for anyone wishing to rise above tired superlatives. Deft praise encourages others to feel as we do, share our enthusiasms. It rewards deserving objects of admiration. It persuades people to take certain actions. It sells things. Sadly, in this "age of awesome," our words and phrases of acclaim are exhausted, all but impotent. Even so, we find ourselves defaulting to such habitual choices as good, great, and terrific, or substitute the weary synonyms that tuble our of a thesaurus — superb, marvelous, outstanding, and the like. The piling on of intensifers such as the now-silly "super," only makes matters worse and negative modifiers render our common parlance nearly tragic. Until now. Arthur Plotnik, the wunderkind of word-wonks is, without mincing, proffering a well knit wellspring of worthy and wondrous words to rescue our worn-down usage. Plotnik is both hella AND hecka up to the task of rescuing the English language and offers readers the chance to never be at a loss for words!


The Subversive Copy Editor

The Subversive Copy Editor

Author: Carol Fisher Saller

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2009-08-01

Total Pages: 151

ISBN-13: 0226734102

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Each year writers and editors submit over three thousand grammar and style questions to the Q&A page at The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Some are arcane, some simply hilarious—and one editor, Carol Fisher Saller, reads every single one of them. All too often she notes a classic author-editor standoff, wherein both parties refuse to compromise on the "rights" and "wrongs" of prose styling: "This author is giving me a fit." "I wish that I could just DEMAND the use of the serial comma at all times." "My author wants his preface to come at the end of the book. This just seems ridiculous to me. I mean, it’s not a post-face." In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller casts aside this adversarial view and suggests new strategies for keeping the peace. Emphasizing habits of carefulness, transparency, and flexibility, she shows copy editors how to build an environment of trust and cooperation. One chapter takes on the difficult author; another speaks to writers themselves. Throughout, the focus is on serving the reader, even if it means breaking "rules" along the way. Saller’s own foibles and misadventures provide ample material: "I mess up all the time," she confesses. "It’s how I know things." Writers, Saller acknowledges, are only half the challenge, as copy editors can also make trouble for themselves. (Does any other book have an index entry that says "terrorists. See copy editors"?) The book includes helpful sections on e-mail etiquette, work-flow management, prioritizing, and organizing computer files. One chapter even addresses the special concerns of freelance editors. Saller’s emphasis on negotiation and flexibility will surprise many copy editors who have absorbed, along with the dos and don’ts of their stylebooks, an attitude that their way is the right way. In encouraging copy editors to banish their ignorance and disorganization, insecurities and compulsions, the Chicago Q&A presents itself as a kind of alter ego to the comparatively staid Manual of Style. In The Subversive Copy Editor, Saller continues her mission with audacity and good humor.


Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too!

Geraldine Pu and Her Lunch Box, Too!

Author: Maggie P. Chang

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2021-06-29

Total Pages: 68

ISBN-13: 1534484701

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Meet spunky, funny, and friendly Geraldine Pu as she takes on a bully and makes a new friend in this first book in a new Level 3 Ready-to-Read Graphics series! Geraldine Pu’s favorite part of school is lunch. She loves her lunch box, which she calls Biandang. She can’t wait to see what her grandmother, Amah, has packed inside it each day. Then one day, Geraldine gets stinky tofu...and an unexpected surprise. What will she do? Ready-to-Read Graphics books give readers the perfect introduction to the graphic novel format with easy-to-follow panels, speech bubbles with accessible vocabulary, and sequential storytelling that is spot-on for beginning readers. There’s even a how-to guide for reading graphic novels at the beginning of each book.


When Bad Things Happen to Rich People

When Bad Things Happen to Rich People

Author: Ian Morris

Publisher: Cornell University Press

Published: 2014-10-01

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1609091671

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When Bad Things Happen to Rich People is a novel of social satire, a black comedy set in Chicago in the summer of 1995. The novel's protagonist, Nix Walters, is an adjunct instructor of English at a communications college in the loop with few prospects for advancement. He had become a literary punch line when his novel, touted as the next big literary phenomenon, was universally panned by critics. He and his pregnant wife, Flora, are struggling financially; however, their fortunes change when Nix is asked to ghostwrite the memoirs of publishing magnate Zira Fontaine. While grateful for a lavish author fee, Nix quickly finds his marriage, his career, and his sense of identity threatened as he struggles with a difficult subject, navigates office intrigue of Fontaine's corporation, and faces impending fatherhood. These tensions come to a turbulent climax when a brutal heat wave hits the city. Written in the spirit of great naturalist novelists of the previous century, such as Dreiser, Norris, and Crane, with a black comic twist, Morris's first novel is a study in aspiration and self-deception in the face of unforeseen adversity. Set among the broad lawns of Lake Forest where the domestic staff skim leaves from the pool and the sweltering streets of Chicago's pre-gentrified Wicker Park neighborhood, where children plunge into the raging stream of open fire hydrants, When Bad Things Happen to Rich People is a broad panorama of our current social reality.


The Urban Tree Book

The Urban Tree Book

Author: Arthur Plotnik

Publisher: Crown

Published: 2009-11-10

Total Pages: 450

ISBN-13: 0307718360

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Open The Urban Tree Book and discover the joys of forest trekking--right in your city or town. This first-of-a-kind field guide introduces readers to the trees on their block, in neighborhood parks, and throughout the urban landscape. Unlike traditional tree guides with dizzying numbers of woodland species, The Urban Tree Book explores nature in the city, describing some 200 tree types likely to be found on North America's streets and surrounding spaces, including suburban settings. With telling descriptions and precise botanical detail, this unique guide not only identifies trees but brings them to life through history, lore, anecdotes, up-to-date facts, and hundreds of fascinating characteristics. More than 175 graceful illustrations capture the charm of trees in urban settings and depict leaf, flower, fruit, and bark features for identification and appreciation. The Urban Tree Book will inform even the most knowledgeable plant person and delight urbanites who simply enjoy strolling beneath the shade of welcoming trees. An engaging excursion into the "urban forest," this complete guide to city trees will both entertain and enlighten nature lovers, urban hikers, gardeners, and everyone curious about their environment. Includes a tree planting-and-care section, tree primer, and exploration guide Is backed by the expertise of the renowned Morton Arboretum Incorporates new "urban forestry" perspectives Covers urban trees across the continent Lists key organizations and institutions for tree lovers Selects the best tree sites on the Internet Updates many guides by 20 years


The Elements of Editing

The Elements of Editing

Author: Arthur Plotnik

Publisher: Scribner Paper Fiction

Published: 1984

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9780020474104

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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


Granny Gomez & Jigsaw

Granny Gomez & Jigsaw

Author: Deborah Underwood

Publisher: Hyperion

Published: 2010-03-09

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780786852161

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Granny Gomez's baby pig, Jigsaw, is the perfect roommate. He eats watermelon and watches cooking shows with her—he even does puzzles. But Jigsaw grows up—and out—quickly. Soon he's too big to get up Granny's back steps. It seems the only thing to do is build Jigsaw a barn. But once Jigsaw moves in, the two miss each other like crazy! Surely Granny and Jigsaw can find a solution, if they just put the pieces together. . . . Playful language, subtle repetition, and Scott Magoon's signature watercolor art make this funny story of friendship a book that kids will want read aloud again and again.


Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs

Word Up! How to Write Powerful Sentences and Paragraphs

Author: Marcia Riefer Johnston

Publisher: Northwest Brainstorms Publishing

Published: 2013-04-27

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 0985820314

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Want to know how to write more powerfully? You've come to the right book. Word Up!—an eclectic collection of essays, more inspiration guide than style guide—serves up tips and insights for anyone who wants to know how to write with umph. Word Up! does what too few writing books do: it practices while preaching, shows while telling, uses powerful writing to talk about powerful writing. Word Up! explores the perplexities and celebrates the pleasures of the English language. It leaves you smiling—and ready to conquer your next blank (or blah) page.