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The Anatomy of Prose: 12 Steps to Sensational Sentences (Better Writers Series) by Sacha Black
jessbookishlife's review against another edition
5.0
The life of a writer can be different for everyone.
For me, messy hair, my computer open, lots of notebooks and loose papers full of notes and information.. a cup of tea and a bottle of water... snacks! Many snacks... and now, Sacha Black's The Anatomy of Prose.
I have decided, while in a moment of reflection, that I was going to learn more about the writing world. That I was going to learn and see what I could improve in my writing.
And then, like the answer to my prayers, Sacha Black wrote this brilliant nonfiction, writing book. Thanks to the universe for aligning the stars and crossing our paths... I was able to read an ARC of this book.
You may be wondering: "But Jess, you are a Portuguese author, you write in Portuguese... wouldn't thinks be different?"
Well, it's certain that not everything can be take literally. But the thing is, all of Sacha Black's advice and tips, can be applied to any language, because it's all about prose.
Sure, in Portuguese we have dialogues structured in a different way and I could show you some examples. But that doesn't mean the tip about dialogue tags (Step 5 - 5.2 Tag Simplicity) isn't valuable, because let me tell you it was spot on!
That's just one example. Even if the words may be different, or you have grammatically different writing, comparing to English... it's about the core of prose, the art of writing.
Quoting Sacha "You've come for grammar and punctuation lessons. This is not a grammar book." And she wrote "this book as an exploration - a narrative examining a range of techniques and tools in writing."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I believe The Anatomy of Prose is a fantastic book that can help writers across the world and language barriers.
Plus, let's be honest, the tone of this book is amazing, funny and with this casual sounding narrative that felt like a sincere conversation between friends.
You will never be bored while reading, understanding, learning and thinking about the various tips, examples and exercises.
That been said... do I recommend this book? Of course!
If you want to learn more or even understand what you can improve in you writing, this is perfect book for you.
[Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]
For me, messy hair, my computer open, lots of notebooks and loose papers full of notes and information.. a cup of tea and a bottle of water... snacks! Many snacks... and now, Sacha Black's The Anatomy of Prose.
I have decided, while in a moment of reflection, that I was going to learn more about the writing world. That I was going to learn and see what I could improve in my writing.
And then, like the answer to my prayers, Sacha Black wrote this brilliant nonfiction, writing book. Thanks to the universe for aligning the stars and crossing our paths... I was able to read an ARC of this book.
You may be wondering: "But Jess, you are a Portuguese author, you write in Portuguese... wouldn't thinks be different?"
Well, it's certain that not everything can be take literally. But the thing is, all of Sacha Black's advice and tips, can be applied to any language, because it's all about prose.
Sure, in Portuguese we have dialogues structured in a different way and I could show you some examples. But that doesn't mean the tip about dialogue tags (Step 5 - 5.2 Tag Simplicity) isn't valuable, because let me tell you it was spot on!
That's just one example. Even if the words may be different, or you have grammatically different writing, comparing to English... it's about the core of prose, the art of writing.
Quoting Sacha "You've come for grammar and punctuation lessons. This is not a grammar book." And she wrote "this book as an exploration - a narrative examining a range of techniques and tools in writing."
That, ladies and gentlemen, is why I believe The Anatomy of Prose is a fantastic book that can help writers across the world and language barriers.
Plus, let's be honest, the tone of this book is amazing, funny and with this casual sounding narrative that felt like a sincere conversation between friends.
You will never be bored while reading, understanding, learning and thinking about the various tips, examples and exercises.
That been said... do I recommend this book? Of course!
If you want to learn more or even understand what you can improve in you writing, this is perfect book for you.
[Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.]
elaeis's review against another edition
4.0
4.5* Great content, well condensed! Page layout, not so great.
valneil_reads's review against another edition
5.0
I will definitely be recommending this book to newer writers. I've done a lot of critique swaps and seen a lot of manuscripts that could benefit greatly from the tips Sacha has detailed here. I'm a little further along my writing journey so many of these tips were familiar to me, but there was enough I hadn't seen (or was approached differently) to make it a worthwhile read. Whether you're revising your first draft or on your tenth book, there's something here for everyone.
eol's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
laurengriffineditor's review against another edition
5.0
Yes! Sacha’s book should be considered a bible for all authors everywhere!
katlynduncan's review
5.0
Even though this writing craft book is a chunky one, I read through it at lightning speed. As a writer, I'm always pushing to improve my craft, and The Anatomy of Prose filled a hole I didn't realize I needed when it comes to writing. We dive deep into sentence-level detail while following Sacha's hilarious voice on how you can make your writing sing. This is a MUST read for any author at any level of their career.
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