Product Description
Writing scripts for the big screen takes more than a good ideaÑit requires passion, perseverance, and insider know-how. The Only Writing Series YouÕll Ever Need: Screenwriting is your go-to resource for mastering the complete screenwriting process. Taking you step-by-step from idea to deal, youÕll learn how to:

• Write a sellable script
• Create real and credible dialogue
• Find an agent and marketing the script the right way
• Edit and reviseÑover and over and over, again
• Live the life of a full-time screenwriter

Product Description
The McGraw-Hill Guide to Writing is designed to help students learn to write more effectively not only in their college courses but also in their professional, civic, and personal lives. Combining a flexible reader, rhetoric, research guide, and handbook, The McGraw-Hill Guide shows students how to set goals for their writing, to use effective composing strategies to reach those goals, and to assess their progress toward achieving them. Based on the idea that effective writers are strong communicators in any context, The McGraw-Hill Guide to Writing emphasizes the skills established by the Writing Program Administrator's Outcomes Statement that form the foundation of assessment practices at writing programs throughout the country -- rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, writing processes, and conventions. These skills form the basis of the instruction in each assignment chapter and throughout the text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Great Service
The book was in very good condition and was shipped to me in a very timely manor.This saved me over $60 buying it on Amazon!Every student should buy their text books from Amazon!

Great book...Great value!
This book was in great condition, sent VERY fast and was a really good deal!I will def. do business with them again!

College Freshman Writing
This book was alright...Did not really use it a whole lot in my english comp class but other wise helpful in most ways. Great for the incoming freshman.

Satisfied
Bought for a college course, was satisfied with payment and with the amount of time that it was received in. Would recommend

McGraw Hill Guide Purchase
I was very satisfied with my purchase.Book was as good quality as was promised.Would have liked to receive product sooner! ... Read more

Product Description
Writing at Work is for people who do or will write while on the job whether the writing be an interoffice memo, e-mail, a status report, a lab report, marketing materials, or a letter to a customer. The philosophy behind Writing at Work is that such writing needn't be stale and unoriginal but can instead be a sophisticated piece of work that positively reflects the competence of its composer to all who read it.Rather than dwell on picky, little "rules" that you must adhere to when writing, Writing at Work focuses on the real rules of grammar and aspects of style that you really need to know in order to write with confidence.Using examples realistically drawn from work settings, Writing at Work presents each topic in a manner that is at once accessible and inviting. Spread throughout the text are exercises that provide you with ample opportunity to write, revise, and correct the kinds of written tasks typically encountered at work. You can immediately gauge your progress by checking your work against the answers listed at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

great refresher
this is a great purchase for those that need a refresher for writin in the work place. i loved it SO MUCH that I gave it as a gift.

Writing at Work works!
In the course of twenty-five chapters, Smith and Bernhardt write in a lively manner about the elementary rules (and "non-rules") of grammar, punctuation, sentence structure up through discussions on jargon, technical language, and then on to the "tones" of writing, parallel structure, and playful and elegant prose. I really enjoyed reading this book because I was able to review those elementary rules (without too much pain) as well as get some validation for stylistic choices I've made in my own writing. So much of how a person writes -- whether it's "good" writing or not -- is rather semi-conscious. "Writing at Work" makes the reader conscious about what they're doing in their writing as well as makes a strong case for putting elegant, persuasive writing back into technical and business communications.

And I only had to re-write the last paragraph a few times.... ... Read more

Product Description
The Art of Readable Writing is an indispensable guide to writing fluently. Noted language maven Dr. Rudolf Flesch moves beyond his examination of and advice on grammar and usage in The Art of Plain Talk to the more general principles of style in contemporary writing. Drawing upon a wealth of material from sources as varied as Aristotle and Life magazine, Dr. Flesch shows us how we can write more simply and effectively. His famous Readability Formula, devised specially for this book, explains how to analyze writing for its clarity and interest. Entertaining and stimulating and crammed with commonsensical advice, The Art of Readable Writing is, above all, immensely readable. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Not among Flesch's best work
This book first appeared in 1949. In 1974, Flesch revised it by writing postscripts to each chapter. Basically he denounced much of what he had written 25 years earlier. If you're interested in learning about Flesch's readablility formula, I suggest you buy his book How to Write, Speak, and Think More Effectively, which, incidentally, is still in print and provides a good introduction to Flesch's work. My advice is to buy (used) the following books by Flesch, none of which are in print: 1) How to Make Sense (1954), 2) The Art of Clear Thinking (1951), 3) The Art of Plain Talk (1946), 4) How to be Brief (1962), and 5) Say What You Mean (1972). If you're still set on buying The Art of Readable Writing, I recommend that you buy the 25th Anniversary Edition (1974) with Flesch's improvements and corrections. I think you'll find that his postscripts are far more interesting than the original text.

Not a book on penmanship!
Contrary to the previous review's misinformation, this is not a book on penmanship, but a guide to improving your writing in the sense of composition. As such it is a worthwhile book, and worth your time, but probably only after you have finished with the Elements of Style.

great for the penmanship challenged
I gave this book to my little brother as a gift to improve his penmanship.Knowing that penmanship has alot to do with a persons attitude, i decided to try and change his penmanship because i couldnt change his attitude.This book has helped him tremendously.It did take some time and somepractice, however, the results were well worth it. ... Read more

Product Description
An introduction to the aims and format of biological writing, designed primarily for undergraduates but also useful for postgraduate students preparing dissertations or journal contributions. This is a self-help manual offering straightforward solutions to common problems, and an overview of the diversity of writing tasks faced by professional biologists. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Complicated Review
The book was in perfect condition and arrived during quoted time period..however the edition was not claimed on the site so I assumed it was the newest one; however, I was mistaken and bought the wrong book.

Horrible!..worth NO STARS!
I ordered this product May 13, 2009 and i still haven't received it as of today, June 13, 2009.A MONTH..let's get serious i needed this book for a class and now the class is ending this coming week.Thanks for nothing!!!

Good Guide
This is a good guide to write papers. It is a little hard to follow but I do recommend this book. This guide was recommended to by my Marine Ecology professor.

bio book
When you have to get a text book, amazon is an economical way to get one instead of the university book store. This arrived in 2 days and in good shape. I will look for books here every semester

The confusing world of biological science gets more confusin
Now, granted that I did not experience the world of biological science writing before "the McMillan book", but by all that's ecological, people find this book HELPFUL?The academic world must have been a whole lot more chaotic than I can imagine before McMillan wrote her book, because damn, I can't imagine a more confusing text that is supposed to help students.Sure, McMillan provides examples of how to cite and write (to name a few examples) a research paper, but every time I'm looking for a specific bit of information I can't find what I'm looking for!I'm pretty careful about throwing around the phrase "I hate", but every time I look at this book I can feel the rage and frustration rise inside of me.Helpful.SURE it is. ... Read more

Product Description
From the latest breakthroughs in medical research and information technologiesto new discoveries about the diversity of life on earth, science is becoming both more specializedand more relevant. Consequently, the need for writers who can clarify these breakthroughs anddiscoveries for the general public has become acute.

In Ideas into Words, Elise Hancock, a professional writer and editor with thirty years ofexperience, provides both novice and seasoned science writers with the practical advice andcanny insights they need to take their craft to the next level. Rich with real-life examples andanecdotes, this book covers the essentials of science writing: finding story ideas, learning thescience, opening and shaping a piece, polishing drafts, overcoming blocks, and conductinginterviews with scientists and other experts who may not be accustomed to making their ideasunderstandable to lay readers.

Hancock's wisdom will prove useful to anyone pursuing nonfiction writing as a career. Shedevotes an entire chapter to habits and attitudes that writers should cultivate, another to structure,and a third to the art of revision. Some of her advice is surprising (she cautions against slavishuse of transitions, for example); all of it is hard-earned, astute, and wittily conveyed. This conciseguide is essential reading for every writer attempting to explain the world of science to the rest ofus. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Worth reading for aspiring science writers
This book is certainly worth reading for people interested in Science Writing. I am actually a Psychologist thinking about dabbling in science writing for a wider audience and this book served to fuel my interest and offered a number of condensed tips. Its written in a quick to read writing style that I find enjoyable, broken in to small sections about different points which allowas you to be rewarded and move on or pick it up later to read some more.

Todd Finnerty, Psy.D.

Joy of Writing
Elise Hancock's lucid style will seduce scientists to write with candor and renewed passion. Solid professional advice in this 151-page self-help guide. Encourage a copy to your bored lab colleague and inspire them to trade their pipette for pen!

important for science writers; easy and fun to read
The author provides many examples of great scientific writing.Such writing involves translating difficult-to-understand abstractions into concepts easy to understand and related to our current knowledge.

Her writing was a delight to read.

"As the article proceeds, it is as if the selected facts are coated in honey, so that they slide down easy, one pill at a time.No reader will go away thinking, Boy was that turgid, I had to learn a new word just about every paragraph - even though she did."

The book is organized into the following chapters:

1 A Matter of Attitude
2 Finding Stories
3 Finding Out: Research and the Interview
4 Writing: Getting Started adn theSTructure
5 Writing: The Nitty Gritty
6 Refining Your Draft
7 When You're Feeling Stuck

What I particularly liked:

+ her ability to use extended similes, metaphors
+ things that make scientific writing different
+ watch out for scientific mavericks
+ how to find scientific story ideas (excellent)
+ don't confuse a topic with a story idea
+ all of her material on interviewing (excellent, particularly the questions to ask)
+ focusing on the most likely reader, but also the other ones
+ her method of writing was unique (lack of exploratory free-writing, don't spill the beans on your story before you write)
+ her recommended use of organic shapes for your writing (excellent)
+ "build the picture before you supply the name" (how to define technical terms)
+ some great tips on putting on a fresh set of eyes before you start to revise and then edit.
+ re-organizing the paragraphs using their "gists"
+ "... in a term paper you tell.In a professional writing, you show."

I highly recommend this book for anyone who writes, but particularly for anyone who wants to write for the scientific or technical markets.

John Dunbar

Useful for aspiring science writers and scientists alike
I read "Ideas into Words" primarily for an insight into how science writers go about their business and secondarily to see if aspects of good popular science writing can be useful in communicating science between disciplines - and in writing grant applications.

Hancock does indeed provide a nice glimpse into scientific journalism.The second and third chapters focused on reporting science and interacting with scientists from a journalist's perspective.A lot of the suggestions also apply to what makes for a good science student.The final four chapters dealt with writing and some of the suggestions do cross over from journalism to other forms of writing.The first chapter was the most enjoyable; the discussions of what science is and how scientists think were gems.My favorites sections were on the mentoring process in science and the difference between scientific and legal forms of rational inquiry - truth vs. verdict.

I recommend this book mainly to people interested in becoming science writers.I believe the suggestions would help anyone reporting on my own work, for example.The suggestions and discussions in the book are also of value to scientists who wish to communicate their work. ... Read more

Product Description
A thoughtful, clear and utterly fascinating reference, this book is absolutely vital to writers who want to put extraterrestrial life-forms in their novels and stories.Amazon.com Review
Whether you're a writer or a reader of science fiction, thishow-to guideprovides thought-provoking analyses of the ways in which aliens andalien societies can be portrayed convincingly. It's almost as fascinating as the manyclassic SF texts it analyses. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Too general to be very useful
A&AS takes takes only a cursory and scattershot path through the subject matter. If you're hoping for specific answers to questions like "What would a lifeform from worlds with more or less gravity than Earth's be like?" you're bound to be disapointed. However it does succeed at giving food for though.

Aliens and Alien Societies
Excellent product to springboard thoughts on making an alien race for a novel or roleplaying game. It is written in plain english, and any hard science is explained in laymans terms. I personally used the information here for a space opera RPG, afterwards my players asked me how i made such a believable alien race. This book was worth every penny i paid for it.

Good reference book
This is a good reference book. It explains what life might be like in certain star systems and what suns can support life. It has some science. It also tells you how to look at various cultures and develop your own through creative thinking and logic as well as looking at ecosystems on earth and how they could survive and develop as cultures. We really have everything here on earth that could be considered alien in one form of animal or another. This book helps you think about how and why your alien culture thinks and how it has evolved.

Do you have to be a professor or PhD to write Science Fiction?
The answer is no ... or yes, depending on what form and/or market your writing is goaled toward.If a science fiction novel was written to include every element presented in this manual, it would be as boring as reading a detailed summary of how to climb a step ladder.If you get too lost in the guidelines, you'll lose your creativity.A being with rubbery skin can live on a wet planet, but you don't have to detail that being's evolution from primordial ooze to rubber man down to the details of its DNA.

Writing "hard" science fiction is much different from writing "fantasy" science fiction, or "softer" science fiction.Mieville's cactus people wouldn't exist if he'd followed the restrictive rules of hard sci-fi, and they are intriguing.Mieville didn't build a world with climate, rotation, axis position, mean distance from a sun, the type of sun, or any other hard facts, he just made his species absorbable and intriguing.The presumption that even "hard" science fiction is for mathematicians, physicists, professors, scientists, and total numbers-geeks is preposterous and insolent.

You'll have to ask yourself, as a writer, "how far do you want to go?"Are you writing science or science fiction?Is this a thesis or compelling imagery?Schmidt pointed out that certain people write in to the publisher when the hard facts are shaky, but remember that these are guys portrayed by the "comic book guy" in The Simpsons.Do you cater to the few who don't have a life or do you use your creative talent to entertain the majority?

Even one of the stories mentioned by Schmidt, Stanley G. Weinbaum's "A Martian Odyssey" didn't follow such strict guidelines as Schmidt presents, and still created one of the most intriguing aliens to have ever graced the written word.Weinbaum didn't explain Tweel's evolution, or any evolution on Mars, he didn't explain the rocket propulsions or the thermal sleeping bags or the reason Earth beings went to Mars, but he created a story that holds intrigue throughout many generations and is classified as "hard" science fiction (with humor).Heinlein rarely went into the details described in this book, nor Norton, but they are still classic Sci-Fi writers.Both Star Trek and Star Wars have broken apart Schmidt's theory of "necessary fundamentals".

Actual "writing about aliens" doesn't start until chapter eight, continuing through chapter nine.Many readers may give up before then.Science Fiction (IMHO) 'supposedly' takes for granted the fact that warp travel, or faster-than-light travel is accepted, I find no need to extrapolate a hard-science based core for this, whereas the author seems to think it's mandatory.I honestly don't believe the modern science fiction reader requires an extensive physics lecture to believe in faster-than-light travel.

Still, this book, IMHO, should be required reading for anyone who writes "hard" sci-fi or "fantasy" sci-fi.While the physics of the writing may seem overwhelming, the ideas you can (and will) develop from reading over the intricacies of foundation writing are invaluable.For the "hard" sci-fi writer this will be a beginner's manual, for the "fantasy" sci-fi writer it will be a guideline and an inspiration.Schmidt says, "The very essence of science fiction is that you'll be creating situations that no one has had to deal with before - and then inventing ways to deal with them."He quotes Hal Clement as saying, "Work out your world and its creatures as long as it remains fun; then write your story, making use of any of the details you have worked out which help the story."If you work within the strict guidelines of this book, Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park" is "hard" science fiction rather than general fiction. (as would be many of Crichton's novels)

The Pros:The book is heavy with great references in both non-fiction and fiction, though the fictional references seem to be highly restricted to a clutch of about ten books rather than the broad range offered by hard sci-fi authors, plus there is an extensive reference, a glossary, and an index.
The Cons:With all the technical physics, technical astronomy, bioengineering, evolutionary and anthropological sciences introduced at the beginning, a budding writer might lose hope or interest before getting to the meatier parts of the book.These chapters, however, are necessary.

My recommendation is that if you are serious about either "hard" or "fantasy" sci-fi writing, you should pick up a copy of this book, but not as a "starter" for goals or inspiration.Rather, this book will fill out your thoughts and creativity after being stimulated by other, easier to read writing introductions.Good luck, and Enjoy!

Light on useful information
I wanted this book in order to help me design alien races that would appear scientifically credible in a science-fiction universe. After having read its 220 pages what can I say? All the useful info could take a mere dozen pages.

There is lot of advice that could really be summarized like this: 1) be logical and think about the environment before inventing your race's characteristics; 2) read all you can about ethology; 3) Humans are obviously a scientifically credible race, thus in creating humanoid races you cannot be wrong. Ah great! I am glad to have read a whole book to learn just that. Then, here and there are a few tid bits of info really interesting, but in the end most of the text teach you very little on this subject.

Overall, I found this book disappointing. ... Read more

Product Description
This text demonstrates - by means of rough, beginner's drafts - how writers can analyze, correct and polish their own work before submitting it, whether it be books to publishers or articles to magazines and newspapers. Mary Mackie has had over 50 books published, included 40 works of fiction. ... Read more

Product Description
The Mayfield Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing offers the ideal combination of comprehensive coverage, accessibility, and convenience. It supplies grammatical and stylistic information, provides the key format elements of common technical documents along with illustrative examples, guides authors in the effective use of visual information, and helps writers revise and edit their own work as well as review that of others.

The Mayfield Electronic Handbook of Technical and Scientific Writing, which is platform-independent and can interact with several applications at once, can be used alone or accompanied by the printed version. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Technical Scientific Writing
Condition very good, just as listed.Fast delivery.No problems.Glad the book was available with such good service.

A broad based handbook
This Handbook, both in its content and construction, is one of the most effective Technical Writing guides I've found.It is convenient to use, and each covered topic area is easily found.It is broadbased enough so that it generally is the only tech writing reference one needs at hand, and in itself is a fine example of what technical writing is all about.

Great Resource
This book is one of the best of its type that I have seen. A very handy reference for anyone doing documentation.

The best book I ever seen in this field.
It has been the best company as I have been writing my Master's thesis in the computer science field. Whenever I vacillate about how to write or present something in the proper way, I consult with this amazing manual.The ideal answer is "always" there. It is still expensive, butsurely I invested my money in the correct place. Thanks for all whoparticipated to introduce such a marvellous product. ... Read more

Product Description

Learn the basic techniques every successful playwright knows

Among the many "how-to" playwriting books that have appeared over the years, there have been few that attempt to analyze the mysteries of play construction. Lajos Egri's classic, The Art of Dramatic Writing, does just that, with instruction that can be applied equally well to a short story, novel, or screenplay.

Examining a play from the inside out, Egri starts with the heart of any drama: its characters. All good dramatic writing hinges on people and their relationships, which serve to move the story forward and give it life, as well as an understanding of human motives -- why people act the way that they do. Using examples from everything from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House, Egri shows how it is essential for the author to have a basic premise -- a thesis, demonstrated in terms of human behavior -- and to develop the dramatic conflict on the basis of that behavior.

Using Egri's ABCs of premise, character, and conflict, The Art of Dramatic Writing is a direct, jargon-free approach to the problem of achievingtruth in writing.Amazon.com Review
For many years, Lajos Egri's highly opinionated but very enjoyable The Art of Dramatic Writing has been a well-guarded secret of playwrights, scriptwriters, and writers for television. Unlike many other books on playwrighting (several of which Egri criticizes during the course of this one), the author's systematic breakdown of the essentials for creating successful realistic plays and screenplays effectively demystifies the process of creative writing. Egri, who formulated his thoughts about "a well-made play" during its heyday (the 1940s and '50s), places a premium on an exhaustive analysis of characters and discussion of their psychological motivations. The writer is exhorted to find a premise to explore and to discover which characters will most effectively demonstrate this thesis, then is shown how most effectively to place them into conflict with each other. Conflict itself is also discussed, particularly how to create scenarios in which the crisis develops at a pace that feels unforced and natural. While Egri's view of the well-made play has little space for either the spare musings of Beckett and Pinter or the conscious excesses of non-narrative and other experimental writing, it nonetheless remains an essential text for writers drawn to realistic drama, and to any writer interested in the fundamental motivations of human behavior. --John Longenbaugh ... Read more

Customer Reviews (55)

Calling all editors...
My edition is the most poorly edited book I have ever read. (Was the book self-published at Kinko's?)
Also, the author's train of thought wanders as he writes, often confusing the point. Mr. Egri must have written this book in a single, caffeine-fueled sitting.
Rewrite...

The Art of Dramatic Writing bought from Amazon
This is an excellent book for writers of all genres. I had read the preview of this book and know the reputation of Lajos Egri,so I wasn't surprised at the knowledge and experience offered in his book. However, I'm an experienced writer and ready for Mr. Egri's discussions. I would not recommend this book to someone new to the trade. The reader-student needs to know the basics of writing and should have experience writing and being rejected before attempting to understand what the author is saying. I've read the book twice and parts of it a third time. But the best way to understand the lessons in this book is to write anything as long as it incorporates what you have read. Then read it again. Writers of prose shouldn't be put off because this book is involved with play writing--his lessons are for every writer, no matter your choice of vehicle. Enjoy!

A Book for the Centuries
This is one of the best books ever written. Period. A giant's work! A milestone of human thought, psychology, and the art of writing and communicating. This book is a must for all who are writing for impact, no matter in which field.

Avoid this HARDCOVER EDITION
I ordered this edition and immediately returned it for a refund since it is a terrible edition: difficult, hard-to-read layout with small font and formatting.It also does not have the complete, original manuscript as other editions (like the Touchstone edition by Simon & Schuster).

great but I wish I could read it without a magnifying glass
The information is valuable for anyone who is a writer, and I am very pleased with this book. However, the edition I bought had a type face that was absolutely minuscule. I will still read it and learn from it, but I wish the font was somewhere near normal size. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Great book focused on Short film development
Phillips' book is one of the best that focuses on development of the Short film. The Short is a script of less than 30 pgs. He is a perpetual "Visiting Professor" at U Wisconsin - Eau Claire, Department of English means that he is free to teach and to consult to industry, but no tenure.

His book is unique in that he concentrates on the story development process. A large section of the book contains the full script of 5 shorts; which include two from former film students of his while at Cal State - Stanislaus, and two that have won awards as major film school thesis short films. He includes these short scripts because few are available published or on-line for download.

There are three Parts in the book; Getting Started, Example Short Scripts, and Writing Scripts. The book includes an Intro by his mentor Richard Walter at UCLA Film school, an Epilogue, Bibliography, List of Film and Video Shorts, Short Film Distributors, and Index.

The most important section is in Part I which includes Nine Writing Exercises, especially #6, #7 and #8. The next most important features of the book are the last two film scripts. This Reviewer has found that "Avenue X (94)" by Leslie McCleave, Dir & Screenplay, had a film trailer on YouTube (aLc2t2Yofrk) and is listed on iMDb (tt0346546).

In addition a complete script of "The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970, 21min, Universal Studio, a theatre Short opener for 2 yrs)" was produced by USC Film student, John Longenecker, and won an Oscar Short award. YouTube has the complete short (albeit with Italian subtitles) at (WsWQF1H5uSY) + (pqwV_OnoL1g).

=======

Part I: Getting Started

Chap1 Finding Sources. The best are from personal experience (echo from Richard Walter, UCLA Film screenwriting). p4 If from an idea, then the story becomes an illustrated lecture. p6 Avoid a topic that is too recent as one may not be aware of significance points. p8 "Although your script should begin with an experience you know well, it should never end there. You must transform the experience into a fictional script." p9 Fragments of an autobiography rarely make good scripts. As Hitchcock says, Drama is life with dull parts left out. p9 Thus good screenwriters know to cut, transform and rearrange events, and change and invent characters. They can show us more, in sharper focus (detail and patterns), and more quickly than life itself.

p11 Keep a daily Journal, written and recorded while exercising. p12 1) Show people talking and interacting. 2) Show, don't tell; instead of explaining what is funny or sad, write in a way that *is* funny or sad. 3) Use concrete words; not abstract like "beautiful, nice, very, brave." p13 Additional tips on Journal writing and *Types* of writing. This Journal is for your eyes only.

1. Events that stick powerfully in your memory

a. argument that changed a relationship you had
b. perplexing experience you suffered through
c. experience that led to a surprising conclusion
d. experience about people that was the first time

2. Dialogs that reveals what people are like
3. Outlines or Summaries of stories on how people behave

p14 Nine Writing exercises

1. Focused Freewriting
2. Emotional reactions
3. Pixs and strong emotions
4. Experiences that teaches you something; read out loud, revise
5. Experiences that generate mixed feelings; fictionalize and create scenes and dialog
6. Imagine two characters talking with tension; reveal the tension with action and dialog. Rewrite and edit, add gestures and tone of voice where necessary. Dialog needs to be natural yet compressed and revealing than real conversation. Do a reading and analyze.
7. Write scene three chars under conflict

p16 8. Tape 2-3 friends conversing for 30min. Transcribe a 5-10min highlight in a continuous segment. Choose couple pages that best describe their personalities. "Last rewrite, condense and focus conversation so that it conveys much in few words yet still seems natural." Some writers evesdrop on people then re-create their dialogue.

9. Many film scenes have no dialog. Actions and settings show us what their like. Write up concisely.

-----

Part II: Five sample short scripts

Chap7: Scripts and Films: Goals and Means. Know your audience. Analyzes:

Visuals: p153 the silent visual sections of "Billy," concise dialog:
p156 dialog sections of "Billy," p160 30 words;
p157 depressing emotion dialog of "Lady's Man" by Dale Melgaard
p160 "Lawrence of Arabia (62)" Rbt Bolt, screenplay, 7 Oscars, DLean Dir;
(Dr Zhivago (65) DLean, Dir 5 Oscars, SP; A Man for All Seasons (67) 6 Oscars, FZinnemann, Dir.)

Stories:
p162 SW need to describe the scene settings well. Indirectly reveal the character, also the mood.
p164 Develop only 2 chars in a Short. "Billy" scene diagrams.
p166 Checklist on character development flaws, time,
p167 Walter Brown Newman (16-93), "Cat Ballou (65)" Oscar actor; keep only the essentials: "You tell the audience only what they need to know--no more. And as little of that as possible"
p168 effective ending -- communicate complexity of human nature -- conflicting emotions and opposing loyalties

-----

Part III: Writing Scripts -- before you begin
Chap8. Planning. p178 Discovery or treatment drafts, Scenes cards, take a break.
Chap9. Writing. p185 Write first draft
Chap10. Rewriting. p194 Script checklists. Edit using correct format.

----

As the last tidbit on Shorts, YouTube has "Two men and a wardrobe (57, 15min)" by Roman Polanski, dir & screenplay. No dialog (nponsMD-Sn4)

Phillips de-mystifies creative writing
As a former creative writing student of Dr. Phillips, I can attest that this book is the next best thing to having the man on retainer.Each step of the creative writing process, from brainstorming to final draft and submissions, is de-mystified and broken down into a series of manageable activities.The most important thing he taught me is that writing, like most things worth doing, is simply a matter of frequent practice.Do the work and the muse will come to you!Very highly recommended.

Insightful Book About Short Film Scripts
WRITING SHORT SCRIPTS by William H. Phillips

WRITING SHORT SCRIPTS is a very insightful book about writing short scripts.

The Author has included his perceptive comments about the structure of short film scripts, and has thankfully included the texts of the short film scripts that he writes about.

THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCHO BILLY (1970) is one of the short films included in the book. A number of photos from the film are included as well. "BRONCHO BILLY" is the classic Academy Award Winning live action short film starring JOHNNY CRAWFORD and KRISTIN NELSON. JOHN CARPENTER created the Original Music and was the film editor. NICK CASTLE was the Cinematographer. It is shot like a classic western, but the setting is the big city in present time. The hero dreams of being a cowboy, and actually rides off into the sunset with the girl. It is a movie, with some cinematic wonderful license.

The entire shooting script is included in the book. It is simple, straight forward, and it includes JOHNNY CRAWFORD'S improvised dialogue from the famous "Park Bench Scene" with KRISTIN NELSON, where he goes on about John Wayne, and Gary Cooper, and when asked if he has a horse, says: "Well, not all cowboys have their own horse."

THE RESURRECTION OF BRONCHO BILLY (1970) was released by Universal Studios, to motion picture theaters across the U.S. and Canada for 104 weeks, and holds the record as the most financially successful live action short film in the history of the studio. Ironically, as the book tells us, the filmmakers were all just starting out on their motion picture careers and were attending classes at the Cinema Department at the University of Southern California at the time they made the picture. That is inspiring for young filmmakers everywhere.

If you are interested in short films, this book includes details about "BRONCHO BILLY" and several other excellent short films as a reference on short film script writing. If you may write a short film yourself, this is one book that you should own and read. ... Read more

Product Description
Written in the splendid bareness of her late style, these pages are Marguerite Duras’s theory of literature. Comparing a dying fly to the work of style; remembering the trance and incurable disarray of writing, recreating the last moments of a British pilot shot during World War II and buried next to her house, or else letting out a magisterial "So what?" to question six decades of story telling, all operate as a deceitful yet indispensable confession. This is the final literary testament of one of the greatest French writers of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A beautiful book
"Writing" combines elements of fictional narrative, literary theory, and conversational Q&A all in Duras's recognizable voice. It is a wonderful book allowing readers to experience both Duras's writingprocess and the finished outcome.

literary testament/memoir explaining Duras's theory of writ
this is the last book by Duras, as she passed away on March 4, 1996. Recommended for anyone who appreciates the spledid bareness of her late style. Her theory of writing, why she wrote, and what compells writers...fascinating, and reads like a meditation. ... Read more

Product Description
A systematic and user-friendly approach to journalistic feature story writing for journalism students, professionals, freelancers, and beginners is provided in this guide. Writers will learn to move beyond conventional news stories and embrace their creativity to create compelling features. Generating fresh ideas, gathering factual information, sifting through raw material, choosing the best angle, and working with editors are all explored. Discussion questions and exercises reinforce the ideas presented in each chapter. Pop culture examples and recently published articles are used to make concepts memorable and easily accessible. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Made it half way through.
I've tried several times to pick this book up again to finish reading it, but can't seem to get into it. I might recommend others first, but that may be just me?

Fantastic book
This is a comprehensive book which covers every aspect of feature writing. It provides many examples along the way to highlight good and poor writing. It is obvious why this fantastic book is used by many Australian universities.

worthwhile, but also worth knowing the following
This book will tell you a lot of what you need to know about writing feature articles. But what I didn't know when I purchased it on Amazon was that it's geared toward the AUSTRALIAN market, which he refers to regularly in the book. Also, most of the examples of writing that he provides, the language and cultural references are of Australia, making it a bit harder to follow for a North American English speaker. If you are not interested in writing for the Australian market, you can be better served by another book. One thing that was missing was the lack of attention given to the distinct writing styles for newspapers and magazines. Considering the title is "how to research and write newspaper and magazine articles," one would imagine that the author would address the differences between the two. ... Read more

Product Description
Author is former editor of Annals of Internal Medicine. A Brandon/Hill Medical List firstpurchase and minimal-core guide to effective writing in the medical sciences. Previous edition was titled: How to Write and Publish Papers in the Medical Sciences, c1990. Trim size: 9 x 7 inches. Softcover. DNLM: Writing. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (11)

Short, but Repetitive and Long-Winded
This book is short and a quick read, but even at that it's a real waste of time.The author repeats himself over and over again throughout the book.And what he's repeating was barely worth saying once - double space, think about the title, you have to revise your dissertation and don't just send it to a publisher as is.As a matter of fact, that's pretty much all the book has to say.If you want a more serious book that will actually help you understand how editors think, get Rabiner's Thinking Like Your Editor.It's not specifically for the academic book market, but it's both more informative and a better read.

Good advice - but too narrow a target audience and a bit dated
While offering some useful advice on revising a dissertation from a writing perspective, I found this book to be a bit limited in its scope. The target audience was a narrow one: young scholars (the author emphasizes the word young at every opportunity, it seems) set on an academic career, wishing to publish through an academic press on the path to tenure. With the growing diversity of dissertation writers, some of whom are mid-career professionals, a broader perspective would seem more appropriate - for example, he completely glosses over the difference between approaches for trade press publication versus academic press, and how revisions might differ between them. Given that he continuously stresses how hard it is to get published, casting a broader net of options like that would seem useful. It might also help reduce some of the repetitiveness of the text, which at time felt a bit preachy and condescending as well. That said, some of the specific advice about writing style was right on point, and very tactically useful in the revision process.

After buying a few similar reference books, I would recommend "Revising your dissertation" edited by Beth Huey before this book. It has overlapping content, but in many ways seems more focused and more respectful - written from a peer-to-peer perspective, rather than from a "wiser than thou" advisor.

Solid, but be sure you're the target market
It's a slim volume, both in size and in ROI, but that's not to say it isn't a valuable read - Germano's insight into both academia and the publishing industry provides a strong dose of reality for the newly-minted Ph.D (or those of us who have written really hefty Master's theses and are figuring out what to do next). Germano not only talks about how the audience and required voice differ between dissertations and books, but also breaks down the possibilities based on the amount of time the would-be author is willing to spend on revisions to help guide the would-be author away from the trap of endless revisions and delays. One of Germano's best visual images is the 40-year-old ABD student huddled in the library over Just One More Book, indistinguishable from a bum... There but for the grace of God, etc.

Perhaps the biggest strike against this text (and a weak strike at that) is how the last third of the book goes into greater depth about how to focus on audience, voice and so on. This is solid, but also sort of a no-brainer for readers who have studied writing and publishing at all. Those of us who fall into that camp can happily skim through those last pages, but other academics new to the publishing game should find them a compelling read.

In the end, Germano's book should probably be handed out to newly-minted Ph.Ds along with their degrees. Those of us on a slightly different road, however, will still find it valuable but perhaps not quite so much of a pageturner.

Excellent guide!
Having put off the process of converting my dissertation into a manuscript for over a year, this book was exactly what I needed to get my brain going in the right direction.

Even though I had excellent guidance and was encouraged to write my dissertation in an accessible writing style, this book was still very helpful.I highly recommend it!!

The Place to Start for New PhDs
I was on the fence between which Germano book to buy, this one or "Getting it Published." I ended up getting both. Between the two, though, this is the one to start with. Not only did it demystify the process of revising the dissertation into a book, it actually has made me feel much better about my dissertation itself. It seems that most all dissertations have telltale problems and limitations; Germano is a former book editor at a scholarly press and has seen enough of them to describe them frankly and helpfully. He pegs perfectly the fundamental flaw of graduate education: what you are asked to produce for your committee is not what publishers want. I have often compared my dissertation to the books that I read and felt that it pales in comparison; Germano explains why this is though and maps out useful strategies--planning, conceptualizing, re-writing--for taking your work to the next level. After reading this, I am actually really excited to get into the revising process. ... Read more

Product Description
Teaches how to recognize common errors instantly by describing what those errors are, in simple & clear terms & to convey the basic principles of good writing.Paper.DLC; English language Rhetoric. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

I bought this book four times so far! Aren't you curious about my reasons?
Lyn, oh Darling Lyn, words can't describe you and your verbal prowess...

Sorry, wrong site.

*coughs*

I first stumbled onto this book in 2000 at the Stanford University bookstore. I knew I needed help with my writing skills and so I set out to find a book on English grammar that would be both helpful and readable. I bought a few books that day, none of which I can remember today.

This book is exceptional. Let me tell you just how exceptional it is.

My ex-wife has my first copy of that book, I bought another for her to give to her university overseas, and then I bought a third copy of this book. After our separation, I discovered that copy was also missing. Another ex-girlfriend, smartie that she is, heard of my plight while I was reminiscing about it in a half-delusional state of mind and gave it to me as a Valentine's day gift.

Please understand that I was reminiscing about a grammar book in a half-delusional state of mind. I am not even an English major! I am a computer expert.

What makes this book so special? I was doing a refresher earlier this morning and easily read through the first 200 pages in one setting.

Can you make such a claim about any other textbook? I would be curious to read that book. In fact, CNE Study Guide by David C. Clarke would be my other recommendation for you if you like to mix humor with your learning.

This book is not what I would consider lazy reading material. You will derive more value from this book if you mentally apply what you just learned to the "Bad" examples until you can construct "Splendid" prose. Lyn leaves the transformation of examples as an exercise to her reader.

Whether you love Lyn's style or hate it, you will remember her advice. Her examples are fun and funny. She is an expert copy editor. Her book transfers that expertise with surprising ease.

Oh, and it is not all about cats and personal relationships that make you close your eyes and reminisce. She talks about Malamutes and other dog breeds too!

Is this review grammatically perfect? I make no such claims. If you wish to write prose that is truly fun to read, such as this overly indulgent review, then you should definitely buy this book. It is exceptionally useful.

I bought this book four times. That earns it 20 stars!

Very useful and easy to digest
This book was very useful to me, as a non-native English speaker, when I started writing technical texts in graduate school. It contains many short recipe-like chapters, each one about a particular topic. The typesetting is unusual, and some find it distracting, although I think it's a nice touch.

I keep it on my desk all the time
I have Lyn's book already for a couple of years. I loved reading it beacuse of the wit with which she brings her message. And of course, I like cats. I use it regularly as a reference work. There may be issues in which Lyn is overdoing, but on the other hand most of the advice is useful. This holds in particular for those for which English is not their first language. Many traps in English are discussed and good and bad examples are given to learn from.

Good book ... I think!
I think I was hoping for more of a casual read than a text book with a twist.As a writer, I find these kids of books interesting.This was no exception.It does help to further refine how we should be writing.Unfortunately, most people do not pay enough attention to how the speak or write.So, this book is a help in that regard.

I'm not sure why I don't feel it deserves 5 stars.Possibly because there are some parts in which the examples are rather confusing.The other is because the quality of the book - i.e., the paper it's printed on - makes it seem like a newspaper that you would read and toss.

Now, before all you "fans" get your panties into a wad, take into account that this is just my opinion.I suggest that if you want to purchase this book, use the "Look Inside" feature and make sure it's for you.

Some of these reviewers are snobs.
Some of these reviewers are snobs. I'm referring to the first review in this listing, which probably got high scores just because it is so long. Should we be surprised that a computer science professor doesn't like books that have a personal touch? Should we also be surprised that such a professor criticizes the author for not using Latex, the favorite of computer science people but probably nobody else?

The book is not perfect but for a college graduate looking to avoid a lot of writing landmines, this book is a fine thing and has a lot of practical advantages over such classics as Elements of Style. ... Read more

Product Description
Top-Notch Writing Advice from Today’s Premiere Writers
*From Glimmer Train--one of today’s most well known literary journals
*Features advice from some of the most accomplished and respected fiction writers today
*Features an illustrated, gifty package that will appeal to any writer

In this exquisite new series from the nation’s leading short fiction literary journal, accomplished authors offer advice and instruction on fiction writing and the fiction writing life that speaks to writers of all experience levels. Compiled from the best of Glimmer Train’s "Writers Ask" quarterly newsletter, this volume contains useful techniques, informed perspectives, and inspired nudges from a wealth of accomplished writers including Margaret Atwood, Ernest Gaines, Julia Alvarez, Jamaica Kincaid, Stephen Dixon, Mary McGarry Morris, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

"Glimmer Tain" Glitters!
Consists of interviews with successful writers. They offer years of experience and expertise that no writing class could offer.

Philosophical not technical
The subtitle ("Guide to Writing Fiction") is a bit deceiving, because this led me to believe that the book was technically oriented, when it is actually emotionally oriented.

If you're a writer, you've probably discovered that all writing problems can be placed into one of two main categories:
1 - Emotional
2 - Technical

Emotional problems are things like, "I can't write and I want to.I need to find time, but I can't.What should I write about?Should I use a #2 pencil and a legal pad, or a word processor?"

Books can't help with much of this, but a lot of writing books try to, and they usually fall flat.

Technical problems are problems related to understanding what to write, when you want to show that your character is angry.How to plot a twelve chapter book.What details do you show or not show and how do you determine which is which.

I was expecting this book to be more of a technical treatise, but it fell flat for me, because it was more about the emtions of how a specific (interviewee) author felt when he wrote something that went on to be published.Does that really help me? No.

The entire book is made up of interviews (originally published in glimmer train's magazine for writers). However, to break up the book into "story elements" - setting, character, viewpoint, etc - the authors had to break up the interviews, so only the piece speaking of character are found in that chapter.So, often, you find one piece of the interview in chapter 1 and another piece in chapter 4 and yet another in chapter 5.Terribly disjointed and makes the reading quite boring.

One last thing. Many times I failed to even find the element (character, setting, viewpoint) exposed in the pieces.

Here's a example of what the book is like.If the item is supposed to be about viewpoint, the interviewer would say something like:
"What made you choose 1st person for this story?"
The answer would come something like:
"Well, I was in the bathroom shaving and the light bulb blew.As I turned to leave and get a new bulb I slipped and bumped my head on the toilet.That's when I knew I had to write this story from my point of view."

Uh, yeah.That's a ton of help.
I'm looking for something that teaches writing.
I'd see an answer like:
"This character was so quirky that I wanted the reader to be inside his head 100% of the time.I wanted to challenge the reader to see that the 1st person character was actually a bit lopsided, something like The Catcher in The Rye.It works because we see the world through his eyes and everything seems right, until we find out he is a bit imbalanced."
And then some teaching on how to do first-person.
Maybe something like: Have the character see his reflection in a pond.Have someone say something to the character about his blue eyes seeming brighter on a specific day.

Here are some books that do teach this way:
Elements of Writing Fiction - Scene & Structure (Elements of Fiction Writing)

Make Your Words Work: Proven Techniques for Effective Writing-For Fiction and Nonfiction

Bursts of Inspiration
If you're a writer who's knee-deep in your project, you might encounter a snag somewhere in the process. A character may be dry, dialogue may come off odd, or perhaps your descriptions may be clichéd.

The Glimmer Train could be your quick solution. Culled from interviews with dozens of fictionists on various writing topics, the book offers various perspectives on issues most writers face when working on their prose. Each issue (plot, dialogue, research, theme, moving on to the next piece, etc.) is given a chapter.

Structurally, the book doesn't present lengthy interviews. The Q&A's are short, usually one question and one answer, and each author's perspectives are nicely distributed across the various chapters.

I give this book four stars because a lot of the interviews are project specific, in that an author's answer relates to a story they've already written. So I get the feeling of detachment to the answer; I feel that I need to read the author's story to better understand where the author is coming from.

Also, the subtitle "Guide to Writing Fiction" isn't too accurate, since "guide" suggests direct instruction. "Inspirations to Writing Fiction" would be more accurate given the format and structure of the material.

Don't look any further, this book has it all!
What an AMAZING reference. I bought this and the second book within days of each other because I could not get over the amount of GEMS the first one contained, and knew I was in for more literary treasure!

I don't think there is ANY book out there like these, the very best info, insight and wisdom from the very best authors, compiled together in over 400 pages? I love how their opinions often vary but you turn each page completely enthralled with it all.

I can't stop raving about this series and even asked one of the editors about the third book because I am already fiending for it!

Help to make your way
I have read many books on writing fiction, mostly because I am inspired by reading about the creative process. The reason I love this book is that its breadth and variety provide a hundred little windows into the craft of story-telling. Somehow, it's refreshing to see that the experience of writing fiction is wildly different for different people; there's simply not a right or wrong way to approach the work.

As other reviews have said, this would be a terrific book both for students of fiction and for practicing writers who need occasional fresh perspectives. I've shared my copy with my daughter, a teenage writer who is absorbing all she can about the nuts and bolts of writing stories; we both enjoy reading it in bits. ... Read more

Product Description
Characters need to speak to each other, but writers often have trouble crafting dialogue that sounds aut hentic and original. Whether it''s an argument or a love scen e, Chiarella demonstrates how to write exchanges that sound realistic. ' ... Read more

Customer Reviews (27)

needed more on mechanics
I'm a published author all ready but I got this book to help improve my writing and dialogue. I found the book easy reading and basically useful. I only wish it had more of the nuts and bolts of punctuation and formatting- that is where I fall a bit short. Otherwise, a decent read that may be helpful.

The best book on dialgoue I can find
Writing dialogue has always been tricky for me. I know great dialogue when I read or hear it (think: Pulp Fiction), but readers often told me my writing had "flat" dialogue. I bought this book on a friend's recommendation. All in all, I found it very helpful. Chiarella goes to great lengths to explain how certain words or expressions stand out to our ears when we hear them. These things make up good dialogue. He goes through some helpful examples of bad dialogue to show the reader what doesn't work. He talks about the difference between fiction and screen plays, which was very useful. There is also a good section on nuts and bolts, like quotations and commas. After reading this book, I went back to my own writing and was able to see it anew. My characters often spoke too much (i.e "I'm going to go out for a while. I will be back later." which I changed to "Going out. Back later." The later moves much more quickly). I also looked for ways to make character show in the dialogue (i.e. "Hello" is bland and nonspecific, whereas "Hiya", "Yo," or "What do you want?" all fit with certain character types). The book is short, which is good or bad, depending on what you want. I would have liked more examples. But for some reason, I have found few good books on dialogue. This, to me, was the best one I've come across. It definitely improved my writing.

Tag..You're It!
This book puts you right in the action, enabling your dialogues' grammar to be correct and convincing.Although one can observe correct dialogue format from examples in professionally written stories, the author clarifies formatting techniques with concrete examples.He proceeds with a broad discussion of the use of dialogue tags, (he said, she said), giving advise of when to us them and when not to use them, again drawing upon examples to make his points clear.I really have to admire the way he organizes his concepts with respect to engaging characters' dialogue.Again, he further develops unique tags appropriate to certain situations.For example, in the developed narrative, a woman arrives at a room to find her boyfriend engaged in intimacy with another woman."Oh, my God!" she screams, stepping back, covering her mouth with her hand.He compares this kind of situation to a less effective one. (I made this one up because I don't want to spoil the read.)

He intimates the importance of holding off information in order to create a certain mood.Again, he does this with incredible examples.A significant discussion addresses silence.Imagine watching a movie in which the characters are engaged in a riveting situation in which no dialogue takes place.So, what is it that rivets you?He explores this area with finesse, illustrating how silence can be used to build tension.


One of the most clever things he uses to illustrate technique concerns his description of using indirect language.A man enters a room in which he wants to tell the other character, turn the radio down.However, if the character said that in dialogue, it would be too commonplace and, hence, not so interesting to the reader.Using an indirect approach, he might say something like, When's the last time you cleaned your ears? (I have used my own example again to keep from spoiling Tom Chiarella's wonderful examples.)In Chapter Two, he speaks about The Direction of Dialogue.He provides a little discussion about each aspect, including:tension in dialogue, directed dialogue, interpolated dialogue, misdirected dialogue, modulated dialogue, providing neat exercises at the end of the chapter.

Anyone serious about mastering the art of writing dialogue must read this book.It goes beyond enlightenment, it directs a writer to a plan of action that will make his prose come to life.

EXCELLENT HANDBOOK FOR THE CRAFTING OF DIALOGUE
Prof. Chiarella here provides a very useful guide for the writing of conversation. Not only does he explore the basic grammatical mechanics of different writing tricks and techniques, but he gives us generously as a good teacher the strength and encouragement to pursue our individual talent and multiple voices. Basically the author tells us to write, and then to write, and then to write some more. He has us listen as carefully as possible everywhere we can, and to absorb, to take notes, and above all to write.

This humbly slim yet very substantial manual deserves an easily accessible place of honor upon any aspiring and practiced and advanced writer's reference bookshelf, along with the unabridged Webster's and Elements of Style. It is valuable not only for presenting the standard forms of dialogue, but also for courageously opening the door for us to break any and all rules, and above all at all times to write.

Highly recommended. The author's voice is that of an excellent and supportive and gentle teacher, well practiced and effective in his pedagogy. Well structured and well written, and isn't that a nice change from the vast majority of how-to-write texts which come surprisingly poorly written, angry and incompetent. His examples are all useful and well selected or written as well. Buy this book for the writer you love, including yourself.

In no time you will be writing complex conversation like Joyce's Ivy Day in the Committee Room, or maybe even the mighty Mamet!

Bent Basics
Speaking across a generational divide, I find "Writing Dialogue"
helpful for self-editing. I am too annoyed by the tv culture to sustain interest in author's clever essays. But I do look at tv in spurts with better informed, purposive ear.It is bending the ear to picture scenes that instructs my writing.
Helpful, but annoying in my sixties.
Grandma Writer ... Read more

Product Description
An accessible, hands-on approach to planning, creating, and assessing public policy documents--now updated with material on online communication

Now in a new edition, Writing Public Policy is a practical, concise guide to writing and communicating in public policy processes. Designed to help students understand and perform common types of communication used in solving public problems, this text explains the standards and functions of communicating in the public sector and teaches the use of selected public policy communication genres. Catherine F. Smith presents a general method for planning, producing, and assessing communications in a variety of real-life contexts and situations of public policy work.

New to the second edition:

* The text is updated to meet the needs of today's tech-savvy students, and now features a new appendix on adapting policy writing to the Web
* Examples show policy problems from a global perspective, and U.S. policy making by all levels of government
* A new appendix on clear writing
* A new companion website (www.oup.com/us/smith) offers additional guidance and writing samples

Hands-on and accessible, Writing Public Policy, Second Edition, teaches know-how and techniques needed to effectively communicate in the democratic process of making public policy. It is a particularly useful tool for any student preparing for a career in politics, government, public relations, law, public policy, journalism, social work, public health, or in any role concerned with public affairs. ... Read more