Two for the Toolbox - Recommended Books
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer. By Roy Peter Clark; Little, Brown 2006.
I started to write as soon as I started to read, which is to say very young. I write daily; prevent me from writing and you will have to deal with the consequences: distant stares, mumbling, note-scribbling, sudden odd ejaculations (of words).
And I like to think that I have over the years gained some proficiency in writing. But there is always room for improvement, always fresh insight into the process, and I regularly sample books on writing craft looking to pick up pointers.
Writing Tools caught my eye the other day. I was struck by the presence of the words "tools" and "strategies" in the title, rather than the "rules" and "guidelines" featured so prominently in many another book devoted to writing. And as advertised, I found in this book tools immediately welcome and useful in my writer's toolbox.
Clark's background is journalism, and many of the tools are devoted to increasing clarity and conciseness. But these are characteristics as important in fiction as in nonfiction, and the tools can in fact be used on any form or genre.
Each 'tool' is covered in a short chapter, the 50 chapters grouped as "Nuts and Bolts", "Blueprints", "Special Effects", and "Useful Habits". (It would be more accurate to say that the chapters, averaging four pages, are not short but rather just as long as needed -- Clark stresses allowing words the space they need while keeping them reined in.) 'Homework' is assigned in the "Workshop" exercises for each chapter.
The book is replete with examples of fine writing in a variety of styles; Clark's critical analysis turns each of these examples into a lesson. He also asks us to ponder previous pages of the book and consider their alternative forms.
I said above that I found the tools presented in this book immediately useful, and I would hazard to say that any writer, of any degree of experience, could open this book at random and find something useful. Roughly half the book is dedicated to strategies for creativity and structure (Chapter 28: "Put odd and interesting things next to each other") with the remainder presenting tools for tightening up what has already been written (Chapter 5: "Watch Those Adverbs").Writers could do worse than to copy synopses of these chapters onto cards, then draw a card at random as the "tool of the day" to apply to works in progress.
After just one pass through this book, I already think of each chapter as a separate tool in the toolbox. Just as in my carpenter's toolbox, there are tools for selecting, measuring, and cutting; tools and hardware for joining and building; tools for removal of material and for finishing and polishing. And just as in my carpenter's toolbox, I find satisfaction in knowing that I have the proper tools at hand to build new projects.
The book itself is the best tool of all. I am going to buy a copy, plus several to loan out.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Core Conditioning Illustrated. By Partick S. Hagerman; Alpha Books 2006.
During the last gardening season I wrenched my back, which injury took several months to fully heal. More recently I suffered neck spasms with accompanying nausea. These incidents drove home for me that the care & feeding of muscles is very important, and that as we grow older we must be ever more diligent in our care.
While many exercise techniques focus on the "public" muscles, the ones that affect how you look in a swimsuit, it is the "core muscles" which in fact dictate much of our posture and affect much of our health. Consisting of not only the lower back and abdominal muscles but also the muscles around the internal organs, core muscles are the focus around which the limbs and head orbit. Arms and legs bulging with muscle may look impressive, but any system is only as strong as its weakest element, and many people go about with sadly neglected core muscles.
I do massage; one problem area on many people is the lower back. I have consistently found that those with persistent lower back problems have weak abdominal muscles. Interestingly enough, weak core muscles also cause problems "referring" into the upper back, and neck. Core muscles help dictate how the thorax relates to the pelvis, and when weight is improperly positioned upon the pelvis it causes problems right up the spine and all the muscles related to it. Core muscles also affect the operation of the internal organs, especially digestion.
Perhaps one of the greatest impediments to developing core muscles is their internal nature -- excepting a hard-won "sixpack" of abdominal muscles, most core muscle development is not obvious to the beholder or in the mirror. But luckily a bit of diligence in core exercise produces feelings of stability and well-being which will provide reinforcement for continuing the effort. And luckily, simple and effective exercises exist to tone and strengthen core muscles.
The best of these exercises have been collected into this book. Say what you like about the "Idiot's Guides" (I know some library patrons who avoid them because of the implied insult of the title) they typically present essential information in clear style. And this book is particularly well laid-out, with nicely organized and progressive exercise plans.
The initial exercises, deceptively simple, provide results rapidly enough to encourage the reader to continue. Users move from exercises using body weight alone to resistance bands, while adding in balance exercises using workout balls.
Symmetry of effort is stressed throughout the exercise plans. One drawback of machines and weightlifting (and don't get me wrong -- I've clanked a lot of iron in my time) is the likelihood of over-developing one muscle group at the expense of another. It does you little good to have rock-hard abs if your lower back is weak -- in fact, a recipe for injury. And since symmetry is an inherent part of posture, these exercises also work to improve posture and balance.
These exercises can be done basically anywhere (many can be done on office breaks), with no or simple equipment. Results are felt more than they are seen, in terms of a pleasant firmness of the muscles involved. Other benefits, more obvious to onlookers, are cumulative in the form of better symmetry and more graceful movement.
I find muscularity appealing, so long as it is not carried to freakish extremes. I will always have dumbbells and barbells around; I like a good session of weightlifting to clear the head and build a pump. But I will also devote equal time to maintaining the core muscles, so the strong limbs are not attached to a weak foundation. And this book is a useful tool in making the most of that exercise time.
I started to write as soon as I started to read, which is to say very young. I write daily; prevent me from writing and you will have to deal with the consequences: distant stares, mumbling, note-scribbling, sudden odd ejaculations (of words).
And I like to think that I have over the years gained some proficiency in writing. But there is always room for improvement, always fresh insight into the process, and I regularly sample books on writing craft looking to pick up pointers.
Writing Tools caught my eye the other day. I was struck by the presence of the words "tools" and "strategies" in the title, rather than the "rules" and "guidelines" featured so prominently in many another book devoted to writing. And as advertised, I found in this book tools immediately welcome and useful in my writer's toolbox.
Clark's background is journalism, and many of the tools are devoted to increasing clarity and conciseness. But these are characteristics as important in fiction as in nonfiction, and the tools can in fact be used on any form or genre.
Each 'tool' is covered in a short chapter, the 50 chapters grouped as "Nuts and Bolts", "Blueprints", "Special Effects", and "Useful Habits". (It would be more accurate to say that the chapters, averaging four pages, are not short but rather just as long as needed -- Clark stresses allowing words the space they need while keeping them reined in.) 'Homework' is assigned in the "Workshop" exercises for each chapter.
The book is replete with examples of fine writing in a variety of styles; Clark's critical analysis turns each of these examples into a lesson. He also asks us to ponder previous pages of the book and consider their alternative forms.
I said above that I found the tools presented in this book immediately useful, and I would hazard to say that any writer, of any degree of experience, could open this book at random and find something useful. Roughly half the book is dedicated to strategies for creativity and structure (Chapter 28: "Put odd and interesting things next to each other") with the remainder presenting tools for tightening up what has already been written (Chapter 5: "Watch Those Adverbs").Writers could do worse than to copy synopses of these chapters onto cards, then draw a card at random as the "tool of the day" to apply to works in progress.
After just one pass through this book, I already think of each chapter as a separate tool in the toolbox. Just as in my carpenter's toolbox, there are tools for selecting, measuring, and cutting; tools and hardware for joining and building; tools for removal of material and for finishing and polishing. And just as in my carpenter's toolbox, I find satisfaction in knowing that I have the proper tools at hand to build new projects.
The book itself is the best tool of all. I am going to buy a copy, plus several to loan out.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Core Conditioning Illustrated. By Partick S. Hagerman; Alpha Books 2006.
During the last gardening season I wrenched my back, which injury took several months to fully heal. More recently I suffered neck spasms with accompanying nausea. These incidents drove home for me that the care & feeding of muscles is very important, and that as we grow older we must be ever more diligent in our care.
While many exercise techniques focus on the "public" muscles, the ones that affect how you look in a swimsuit, it is the "core muscles" which in fact dictate much of our posture and affect much of our health. Consisting of not only the lower back and abdominal muscles but also the muscles around the internal organs, core muscles are the focus around which the limbs and head orbit. Arms and legs bulging with muscle may look impressive, but any system is only as strong as its weakest element, and many people go about with sadly neglected core muscles.
I do massage; one problem area on many people is the lower back. I have consistently found that those with persistent lower back problems have weak abdominal muscles. Interestingly enough, weak core muscles also cause problems "referring" into the upper back, and neck. Core muscles help dictate how the thorax relates to the pelvis, and when weight is improperly positioned upon the pelvis it causes problems right up the spine and all the muscles related to it. Core muscles also affect the operation of the internal organs, especially digestion.
Perhaps one of the greatest impediments to developing core muscles is their internal nature -- excepting a hard-won "sixpack" of abdominal muscles, most core muscle development is not obvious to the beholder or in the mirror. But luckily a bit of diligence in core exercise produces feelings of stability and well-being which will provide reinforcement for continuing the effort. And luckily, simple and effective exercises exist to tone and strengthen core muscles.
The best of these exercises have been collected into this book. Say what you like about the "Idiot's Guides" (I know some library patrons who avoid them because of the implied insult of the title) they typically present essential information in clear style. And this book is particularly well laid-out, with nicely organized and progressive exercise plans.
The initial exercises, deceptively simple, provide results rapidly enough to encourage the reader to continue. Users move from exercises using body weight alone to resistance bands, while adding in balance exercises using workout balls.
Symmetry of effort is stressed throughout the exercise plans. One drawback of machines and weightlifting (and don't get me wrong -- I've clanked a lot of iron in my time) is the likelihood of over-developing one muscle group at the expense of another. It does you little good to have rock-hard abs if your lower back is weak -- in fact, a recipe for injury. And since symmetry is an inherent part of posture, these exercises also work to improve posture and balance.
These exercises can be done basically anywhere (many can be done on office breaks), with no or simple equipment. Results are felt more than they are seen, in terms of a pleasant firmness of the muscles involved. Other benefits, more obvious to onlookers, are cumulative in the form of better symmetry and more graceful movement.
I find muscularity appealing, so long as it is not carried to freakish extremes. I will always have dumbbells and barbells around; I like a good session of weightlifting to clear the head and build a pump. But I will also devote equal time to maintaining the core muscles, so the strong limbs are not attached to a weak foundation. And this book is a useful tool in making the most of that exercise time.
Labels: book reviews, core muscles, exercise, writing
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