Word Painting Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively a Guide to Writing More Descri...
Powerful description is easy to recognize but difficult to achieve. In this extraordinary guide, Rebecca McClanahan leads readers through an explor...
read full description
reviews
Mar 08, 2010
Taka
rated it: 
Mostly a waste of time--
There are some useful advice and exercises, I admit, but after about page 100, it loses focus and starts to ramble on about topics that are MUCH better dealt by other books, such as characters, point of view, setting, and plot. It actually made me angry and frustrated to be reading about something that, to me, had little to do with "description."
Her useful advice can be listed as follows:
-Use descriptive, not explanatory or la More...
There are some useful advice and exercises, I admit, but after about page 100, it loses focus and starts to ramble on about topics that are MUCH better dealt by other books, such as characters, point of view, setting, and plot. It actually made me angry and frustrated to be reading about something that, to me, had little to do with "description."
Her useful advice can be listed as follows:
-Use descriptive, not explanatory or la More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 13, 2011
David
rated it: 
Rebecca McLanahan has produced a book that is both useful to writers and a great pleasure to read for its own sake. She manages this partly by her judicious selection of examples, but perhaps even more so by her graceful descriptions of her own writing techniques, subtly toned and coloured with touches of autobiography.
She gets the details right too. Consider, for example, this modest little paragraph:
'Much of our writing energy is expended not in illuminating the deep myst More...
She gets the details right too. Consider, for example, this modest little paragraph:
'Much of our writing energy is expended not in illuminating the deep myst More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 24, 2012
I read this book about five years ago and can still recall passages. There aren't many books I can say that about, and I think this demonstrates her point: original, sensuous writing is memorable writing. McClanahan draws many of her examples from her students' work. One of my favorites, from her chapter on figurative speech, was written by a second grader: "When my mama sit down, it's like the whole world be resting."
Read Literary Mama's full review here: http://www.literarymama.com/reviews/arch... More...
Read Literary Mama's full review here: http://www.literarymama.com/reviews/arch... More...
Feb 01, 2012
Nina
rated it: 
Not exactly a "page turner," this book is a fairly good guide to improving your writing techniques. If you have forgotten the difference between a metaphor and a simile, then this book is for you! It helped remind me to look at the everyday world in terms of its descriptive qualities. Exercises are included but I didn't do them.
Mar 11, 2010
Glenda
rated it: 
This book is very informative and well put together. Personally, I had a hard time getting through it. But, I think it was just personal preference, not, the fault of the book.
Dec 30, 2009
Serena
rated it: 
Love this!
Quite a lot of novel and useful points that I never thought of before. One of the most exciting ideas here was about your "Personal Constellation of Images." Ooohhhh
Quite a lot of novel and useful points that I never thought of before. One of the most exciting ideas here was about your "Personal Constellation of Images." Ooohhhh
Aug 19, 2011
Lindy
rated it:
This book is great for writing exercises to expand the creative process and have fun while the imagination is running wild.
Dec 17, 2009
Femmy
rated it:
I feel that description is one of my weaknesses as a writer, so I bought this book. I learn some things from it and I think it contains some useful exercises, but I'm too lazy to do them. Besides, I rarely write anymore these days so have had no opportunity to really practice.
Feb 03, 2012
Antoinette
rated it:
It's good, but it does repeat itself. I was a writer who didn't understand the dynamics of writing descriptively or its value. I now understand both how it works and its value. So it wasn't a waste of money, but i didnt finish reading it because it was overload.
Jul 13, 2008
Rosalind M
rated it:
Reading this was like reading a song. Not everyone embraces this reference, I know, but the lyrical quality of the writing here and the tangibility her words give to her descriptions....she inspires me.
Dec 16, 2009
Pioden
rated it:
This is an excellent book for those interested in interesting writing. I've gotten much from it, and plan to continue getting much from it, as I read more.
Aug 14, 2008
Josh
rated it:
I'm sure I'll be re-reading this often. There is a lot of great insight in this book for budding authors.
Feb 19, 2012
Feb 18, 2012
Feb 18, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
Jan 24, 2012
Jan 19, 2012
Jan 15, 2012
