Write to the Point: And Feel Better About Your Writing

When Write to the Point was published in 1984, the New York Times columnist and writing guru William Safire called it, “the year’s best book for encouraging the beginning, or the intimidated, writer.” In its 2016 (and final) edition, Stott’s book, rewritten, updated, and expanded by a third, is still, as Amazon reviewer DStrom wrote in 1998, “the best book on nonfiction writing”—one “you can practically read right through like a regular book.” This is because the book’s narrative takes you in friendly conversation through the writing process from first steps (what’s worth writing; finding a subject) to last (punctuation; bibliography; proofreading) with countless examples of published and student writing. This edition treats new topics like how to use the Internet to build original arguments; the unrecognized organizational principle New Journalism brought to prominence; the “ladder of language” and why we want to write halfway up (or down) it; the importance of “personalizing” the information you give; when it’s okay for your writing to be playful; what kind of “detail”—and how much—to use in making an argument; the three worst grammar faults; and how to know when you’ve done enough revisions. Throughout, the book is warm, confessional, and–-would you believe?—sometimes fun.