Publishers Weekly
06/27/2022
Foster (How to Read Literature Like a Professor), an English professor at the University of Michigan, Flint, offers in this friendly guide practical advice on developing a voice and writing “like you mean it.” The bulk of his instructions come on the topic of building confidence, for which he provides numberous exercises—one can get in touch with their “intellectual/emotional response system” by writing a fake review, and writing about “a complex painting in massive detail” can sharpen one’s description chops. Foster insists that the key to writing is “having something to say” and “knowing what that something is,” and gives a rousing “pep talk” about how to get started writing, which, he claims, is the hardest part. He urges writers to “burn your thesaurus” and frequently references the works of Ernest Hemingway, John McPhee, and Joan Didion as examples of sentence structure and voice. Though his personal examples feel a little self-indulgent and unnecessary (ironic, given that he warns against the dangers of using the first person), he’s solid on classroom tips and tricks, as in his point-by-point list of what makes a good thesis. Students will appreciate these handy notes. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Foster […] offers in this friendly guide practical advice on developing a voice and writing ‘like you mean it.’” — Publishers Weekly
“Foster brings his experience as a teacher and writer to this genial guide to the writing process.” — Kirkus Reviews
"A writing guide that digs below thesis, punctuation, paragraphs, and sentence structure to offer a philosophical view of the art of written communication." — New York Journal of Books
“Thomas C. Foster must have been the sort of memorable college professor whose classes filled up fast with long-waiting lists. Fortunately, he has written this bright, positive and helpful work . . . . This is truly an inspired writing manual for everyman. Writing can be a struggle but this slender volume can offer fine assistance in making it better.” — BookTrib
Kirkus Reviews
2022-06-15
Encouragement for beginning writers.
Foster brings his experience as a teacher and writer to this genial guide to the writing process. Any piece of writing, he notes, is a conversation between writer and reader, a notion exemplified by his own chatty, informal style. Though focusing on nonfiction writing, such as essays, newsletters, opinion pieces, profiles, and reports, Foster acknowledges that the techniques and guidance he offers can just as well apply to fiction, poetry, or drama. Rather than approach writing as rules to be memorized or “formulas to be copied and applied as needed,” the author presents writing as a way of discovering the world as well as “an occasion for increasing self-knowledge.” In his view, “it is okay to have a writing personality, to not erase yourself from your writing,” and even to use I, which some writing teachers forbid. He cautions against what Gail Godwin famously called the “Watcher at the Gate,” the pesky self-editor that threatens to silence a writer’s voice. As Foster sees it, writers can be undermined by worry, self-doubt, overconfidence, vagueness, poor structure, and dishonesty—i.e., deliberately spreading misinformation. Throughout the book, he provides exercises—in argument, analysis, description, and crafting an introduction, for example—and lists of guidelines. He breaks down the writing process, beginning with “invention,” which can include daydreaming and journaling; and proceeding to organizing, crafting an effective ending, and—crucially important—revising at the sentence, paragraph, and structural levels. He underscores the importance of supporting claims with evidence: facts, data, testimony, experts’ findings, anecdotes, and quotes. At a time when shifty disinformation seems to be everywhere, he discusses how to evaluate the credibility of a source. “Every piece of writing,” he emphasizes, “is an argument, even if its only point is, ‘I’m worth reading.’ ” His overarching advice to writers is simple: “Write every day….Read. Widely.”
Sturdy practical advice to build confidence and skill.
