Excellent book for those wishing to write unique essays that ...
937039
Excellent book for those wishing to write unique essays that will stand out. I've purchased multiple copies to give to friends.
1820875
Laurie Stone, the essayist and creative writing teacher, recommended this book to me as the most essential volume on the personal essay.  I could not agree more.  The editor, Philip Lopate, is one of the most well-respected authors of the personal essay and he has compiled this anthology of pieces from the classical era to the present.  The book works well for readers and writers alike.  Lopate, in his lengthy introduction, gives an overview of the personal essay, and instructions on how to use this book as a learning tool.  It is divided into several sections, beginning with the essay's forerunners in the classical period.  Michel De Montaigne, the father of the personal essay, gets his own section.  Personally, I did not find it useful to read the book cover-to-cover - I read it in reverse.  I started out with the most recent, contemporary essays - those most accessible to me - and went backwards in order to see the devolution of the essay, as it were.

The essay is fast becoming one of my favorite forms - it is short, funny, and insightful.  I highly recommend this book to ANYONE.
2451023
I downloaded this book to my Kindle for free via Story Cartel and I'm glad I did. I have been creating writing prompts on my own over the past couple of years, but I have discovered that using them is a bit like trying to tickle myself, the brain short circuits to familiar pathways.
Bryan Cohen's collection of writing prompts gives me a new source for inspiration in a well laid out format. I can forge new paths easily. I never lack for inspiration, and his short essay about creating the habit of daily writing is spot on.
3516516
Different from other essay collection books, it straightly starts with real sample essays & analysis, and both sample and analysis are great. What I like most of this essay, it removes the boring parts of some general direction on "how to write essays." Instead it has analysis of each essay, and it helps me to design my essay greatly. However, if someone needs the guideline of writing essay by each topic, he or she may need one more book.
4746791
This book is a mind bending pleasure on so many topics of urgent importance. Part of the book's great attraction is that the reader can open it to any subject of personal interest or curiosity without having to follow the essays in any particular sequence.  The only caveat here is that some of the essays are clearly  in response to a previous writer's thoughts and it makes the reading even more fascinating to be aware of what went just before.  Even so, each entry is a treasure in its own right. May the essays continue to flow.
4014068
This book is a collection of short essays/columns originally written for the American Scholar magazine.  The topics are anything the author found interesting, sports, history, travel, personal anecdotes and more.  Many of the topics I would not normally have been interested in reading.  However, the author is such a skilled and concise writer, I found myself drawn in to every single essay.  In this, the author demonstrates the power of good writing and conciseness.  This book is a fun read but also inspiration for aspiring writers.  I'll be putting other Zinsser books on my reading list.
1012266
"Kite" is a wonderful resource for brief, focused essays on the writing craft. The book is worth it for the first essay alone, on the author-narrator-character merge, a concept all new and aspiring writers should read.
2130037
Jonathan Dobrer's newest collection of essays showcases his gift for extremely engaging, often humerous and always thought-provoking writing.  Who can resist delving into an essay that seems to be a confession of a crime "I just got back from making a drug run to Mexico."? It's not a confession nor a crime--but I leave it to the next lucky reader to discover the truth! His essays explore and address seemingly insurmountable social concern; separation of church and state, Sept. 11, the situation in the middle east, corporate fraud, immigration, racism, and national security. And whether or not you may agree with his observations, these essays will make you think and rethink your own observations. These are essays born to spark lively group discussion. The essays here also show Jonathan Dobrer's strong ability to write deeply moving essays such as the one on the death of Daniel Pearl, delightful whimsical pieces such as "Murder Most Vowel" and local interest pieces such as "Irony-Free in Anaheim" that address the issue of immigration in an intelligent, straight-forward manner done so well it could apply to any community in the U.S. This book is a delight to read, talk about, and read again.  I look forward to Jonathan Dobrer's next collection!
4388163
Grantors will have some really interesting proposals to consider from grant writers whose skills will be enhanced by Cheryl Clarke's terrific book.
Storytelling for Grantseekers breathes new life and humor into the grant writing [now storytelling] process.
This creative guide shows clearly how best to articulate a nonprofit case and engage a grantor, by telling a unique story with examples.
And -- it's fun to read!
1094618
It's a great book and it helped me with my college application essays tremendously. Alan is an amazing writer to help crafting best essays.
1359210
Jump-Starting Your College Admissions Essays comes along just when we need a fresh, step by step plan to help students write college essays.  Examine the ponderous ACT or SAT Test Preparation Books to fully appreciate this efficient and witty approach to the dreaded college essay.  Students who avoid yet another weighty tome willingly read this concise book with short friendly chapters and "do-able" suggestions.  Mr. Cronk seems to have his finger on the pulse of this particular need, and his perspective gives readers straight-forward advice that  will inspire students already well schooled in English essays and history papers, to write a reflective and insightful narrative.  This little book gives concrete advice, models the process, and demonstrates the metamorphosis of real student essays.  The advice  circumvents the essay advice steeped in classroom-teacher-talk and/or guidance-counselor-suggestion and inspires a student-- whether weak, average or gifted-- to find his voice and write an essay he can own.
1797700
An Amazing book of essays great for reading when I'm bored
3174654
A friend of mine, who is a writer, recommended me this book.

The whole thing is a collection of questions about very different subjects, 501 to be precise. In some, the response should be obvious by looking at the person; in some others, not at all.

I found it fascinating in an almost forensic way. Have I ever known any person in my life enough to answer these questions? My kids, and that is it. Would anyone be able to answer these questions about me... better not to go there. :)

My friend was right. This can become an interesting resource for writers; to find topics to induce intimate talk among characters, and let them bring up the back-stories.

I don't think it is the intent of the book though. It is aimed to just have a good time at any party and spark great conversations.

Cons... Hard to find as the object is so clear. I would have liked some organization. I don't know... by type, or by targeted group.

Overall, two thumbs up for the writer. Very original content and right to the point.
4067860
There are several essays in this book that are phenomenal and worth the entire buy. Many, however, are a rehashing of liberal interest group rhetoric, which as a group, offer nothing different, no new language or action, than was used in the campaign period.  These restatements of position may be helpful if you don't know them, but do nothing to say how we will bridge the great divides and citizen frustrations that caused the Trump debacle.  The most impactful new idea for me was from George Lakoff, the cognitive linguist, and Dave Eggers narrative at the end, which created a real portrait of our brothers and sisters and what they are feeling, why they acted- which gives clues on what we might shift going forward.
595945
This book is full of unique prompts that will get you thinking about things you haven't thought of before. It also contains a ton of quotes that are related to creativity that also get you thinking. I really look forward to filling it up over the next several months. The prompts are mostly shorter topics that can be done in little 5 or 10 minute blocks.
4296508
Gawanda is a surgeon and a skilled writer. This collection of essays explores the ways in which changes in medical behavior and organization (as opposed to new scientific discoveries) can lead to drastic improvements in health and survival. He explores a broad array of applications, from interminable efforts to eliminate polio in India and elsewhere to impressive innovations in front-line war medicine in Iraq to ways that hospitals have tried to get doctors to ... wash their hands. Even though many of the essays were previously published (in the New Yorker), Gawanda has updated them and integrated them into the broader theme of the book.

Some of the essays stray from that theme, such as the one discussing medical malpractice, but each one is engaging. Gawanda is excellent at writing for a lay audience: I have no medical training and found the book completely accessible.

One of the principal messages, introduced early and revisited often, is that of "positive deviance": the idea that wonderful changes come from identifying (and learning from) individuals who deviate from norms and achieve impressive results. In his conclusion, Gawanda gives some ideas for becoming a positive deviant in medicine and in life. One is to "count something," building on the book's examples in which measurement systems led to drastic improvements in performance: one example is the Apgar score for newborns; another is the publication of cystic fibrosis treatment performance across hospitals around the country. Gawanda goes on to give a compelling example of how his own measurement helped him understand how to reduce sponges getting left inside patients.

The audiobook published by Sound Library consists of 6 CDs (about 7 hours and 30 minutes). It has good, engaging narration by John Bedford Lloyd.
1792769
Writing is invention and art, a way of creating what is uniquely yours. If you are waiting to be told exactly how to do such a thing, you will never do it because no one can tell you how to invent your story, considering your own brain is the source.
Today You Write the Book: Keys to Start Your Novel

As author Ben Parris emphatically declares in the introduction, Today You Write the Book is not an instruction manual that can instantly transform anyone into a novelist - thats a fate only you can control. Rather, it is an incredibly valuable and insightful collection of suggestions that, when taken into account, allow you to improve your skills and achieve your goal of writing a novel.

Parris has an acute understanding of the fact that writing is a personal process; a good author must have insight and empathy and the ability to take their own ideas and transform them into something larger than themselves. Today You Write the Book captures this spirit, allowing its readers to consider multiple perspectives and opinions about writing and cater their interpretation of the guide to their own needs.

The book begins by outlining three basic types of writers and clearly delineates the strengths and limitations of each group, thus allowing you to use the new self-knowledge constructively.
As you move through the book, Parris takes you through the writing process, from the idea that starts it all to the pros and cons of resources like writers groups. Because of the intuitive format of Today You Write the Book, it is easy to find and focus on the chapters relevant to you, gleaning tips for the stages where you personally need the most help.

Today You Write the Book is also interactive in meaningful ways - chapters are concluded with writing exercises that allow you to practice what you have learned and stimulate your creativity, potentially sparking new ideas you can then incorporate into your novel. It also offers ideas that you may have heard before, but manages to make them compelling and accessible through the use of familiar examples. For example, he uses The War of the Worlds, Planet of the Apes and I Am Legend to illustrate his points about climax and anti-climax.

Parris book is a strong balance between exploration of questions such as who an authors audience should be as they write, and practical advice, as in the section that concisely breaks down the true limitations and surprising value of the passive voice. It is in these moments of subverting commonly held assumptions about writing that Parris is at his strongest. In the end, he manages to create an invaluable resource for writers, one that not only provides many of the necessary tools, but also motivates and inspires its readers as they begin to write something of their own.