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Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process
A classic handbook for anyone who needs to write, Writing With Power speaks to everyone who has wrestled with words while seeking to gain power with them. Here, Peter Elbow emphasizes that the essential activities underlying good writing and the essential exercises promoting it are really not difficult at all.
Employing a cookbook approach, Elbow provides the reader (and writer) with various recipes: for getting words down on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, for getting feedback on a piece of writing, and still other recipes for approaching the mystery of power in writing. In a new introduction, he offers his reflections on the original edition, discusses the responses from people who have followed his techniques, how his methods may differ from other processes, and how his original topics are still pertinent to today's writer. By taking risks and embracing mistakes, Elbow hopes the writer may somehow find a hold on the creative process and be able to heighten two mentalities--the production of writing and the revision of it.
From students and teachers to novelists and poets, Writing with Power reminds us that we can celebrate the uses of mystery, chaos, nonplanning, and magic, while achieving analysis, conscious control, explicitness, and care in whatever it is we set down on paper.
Employing a cookbook approach, Elbow provides the reader (and writer) with various recipes: for getting words down on paper, for revising, for dealing with an audience, for getting feedback on a piece of writing, and still other recipes for approaching the mystery of power in writing. In a new introduction, he offers his reflections on the original edition, discusses the responses from people who have followed his techniques, how his methods may differ from other processes, and how his original topics are still pertinent to today's writer. By taking risks and embracing mistakes, Elbow hopes the writer may somehow find a hold on the creative process and be able to heighten two mentalities--the production of writing and the revision of it.
From students and teachers to novelists and poets, Writing with Power reminds us that we can celebrate the uses of mystery, chaos, nonplanning, and magic, while achieving analysis, conscious control, explicitness, and care in whatever it is we set down on paper.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
171 people are currently reading
1308 people want to read
About the author
Peter Elbow
37 books33 followersPeter Henry Elbow was an American academic who was a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he also directed the Writing Program from 1996 until 2000.
As a scholar whose published work raised both academic and popular awareness of scholarship within the field of Rhetoric and Composition, Elbow’s research includes theory, practice, and pedagogy. He is one of the pioneers of freewriting.
As a scholar whose published work raised both academic and popular awareness of scholarship within the field of Rhetoric and Composition, Elbow’s research includes theory, practice, and pedagogy. He is one of the pioneers of freewriting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 12, 2011
I finally did it. I made it through the book. Only took me about five months.
The length of time that it took me to finish the book doesn't really say anything about the book itself, in my opinion. Elbow himself mentions that the book can be quite useful if you are just looking for a certain passage within it. I especially appreciated the sections that dealt with getting words on paper, revising, and feedback. And Elbow also tends to take care to separate techniques and ideas for creative writing and expository writing, and I appreciate that. Sections on poetry are not as useful to me, and the section on power in writing to be oddly unsatisfying. I'm convinced we were on the same page in terms of what it is, but what threw me off, perhaps, was just how wordy everything was. Sure, give us an example, but don't rattle on about it for pages and pages, and in this section in particular I really didn't understand, for example, what was 'wrong' with the samples he chose to criticize. I feel as though this book could be half as long and just as useful, if not more so.
But there's a reason writing professors use them in their writing seminars, and I immediately see the practical implications of this book. The details he sometimes includes throw me off, surely, but I am extremely likely to pick this book up and go to the relevant passages when I get around to writing. Elbow would tell me to start now, regardless of my mood.
The length of time that it took me to finish the book doesn't really say anything about the book itself, in my opinion. Elbow himself mentions that the book can be quite useful if you are just looking for a certain passage within it. I especially appreciated the sections that dealt with getting words on paper, revising, and feedback. And Elbow also tends to take care to separate techniques and ideas for creative writing and expository writing, and I appreciate that. Sections on poetry are not as useful to me, and the section on power in writing to be oddly unsatisfying. I'm convinced we were on the same page in terms of what it is, but what threw me off, perhaps, was just how wordy everything was. Sure, give us an example, but don't rattle on about it for pages and pages, and in this section in particular I really didn't understand, for example, what was 'wrong' with the samples he chose to criticize. I feel as though this book could be half as long and just as useful, if not more so.
But there's a reason writing professors use them in their writing seminars, and I immediately see the practical implications of this book. The details he sometimes includes throw me off, surely, but I am extremely likely to pick this book up and go to the relevant passages when I get around to writing. Elbow would tell me to start now, regardless of my mood.
October 2, 2015
Not sure I can write with enough power to express how much I loved this book and admire Elbow and all that he stands for as a teacher and writer. This book manages to provide all sorts of pragmatic tips and advice with exquisitely thought out rationales behind them. Elbow, himself, has a definitive and lovely voice. I feel I could never tire of reading him expound on writing and teaching.
May 10, 2020
This was a useful book when I was still doing academic writing, but I re-read it yesterday and it does not speak to me at all anymore. Releasing it into the world.
Question: where to rehome pre-loved books in a COVID-19 world? No more little libraries. No more bookshelves at cafes.
Question: where to rehome pre-loved books in a COVID-19 world? No more little libraries. No more bookshelves at cafes.
June 27, 2017
Hands down one of the most useful writing manuals I've come across. It's not specific to fiction writers, and teaches really useful tips and tricks for overcoming common stumbling blocks - I found the section on how to solicit feedback especially useful.
July 13, 2016
One of my favorite writing books. Teaching from it again. Good to go back to my sources of inspiration.
March 16, 2017
I actually haven't finished it, but I don't want it in my currently-read shelf for the rest of the school-year or however long it takes me to read it ... so ...
The first chapter is amazing! :P
The first chapter is amazing! :P
September 16, 2019
This book won me over in spite of myself. It took me a couple of months to work through the early chapters on "getting words on paper"; like many other reviewers, I found these ostensibly "practical" chapters frustrating because they were so meandering and repetitive. However, once I got into the middle section on "Revision," Elbow's philosophy of writing started to come across more clearly, and it resonated with me.
Central to this philosophy is the idea the practice of writing hinges on a dialectic between instrumentality and magic, between discipline and freedom, between forcing yourself to write and letting your writerly self be. Throughout the book, Elbow stresses that good writing takes time, that ideas need to "cook," that revision is an essential and sometimes herculean task, but that the gravity of all this should never prevent you from writing. He also stresses that everyone is capable of putting power into words, and this is something I really believe.
I am not sure if I'll be implementing any of Elbow's "tips" directly into my writing process, but I do I feel that my process has been informed by his way of thinking about writing. If nothing else, I will forever be comforted by the fact that the final chapter on revision is called "Nausea." And tickled by the many jabs he takes at sociology.
The jacket of my (old, library) copy calls Writing with Power a "handbook," but I wouldn't call it that. It's a meditation on the art of writing that just might bring you into more peaceful coexistence with that art.
Central to this philosophy is the idea the practice of writing hinges on a dialectic between instrumentality and magic, between discipline and freedom, between forcing yourself to write and letting your writerly self be. Throughout the book, Elbow stresses that good writing takes time, that ideas need to "cook," that revision is an essential and sometimes herculean task, but that the gravity of all this should never prevent you from writing. He also stresses that everyone is capable of putting power into words, and this is something I really believe.
I am not sure if I'll be implementing any of Elbow's "tips" directly into my writing process, but I do I feel that my process has been informed by his way of thinking about writing. If nothing else, I will forever be comforted by the fact that the final chapter on revision is called "Nausea." And tickled by the many jabs he takes at sociology.
The jacket of my (old, library) copy calls Writing with Power a "handbook," but I wouldn't call it that. It's a meditation on the art of writing that just might bring you into more peaceful coexistence with that art.
November 26, 2015
I read some of the other reviews just now, and I realized that one of the reasons why I liked this book, is also the very reason others complained about it. People claimed to have not enjoyed Elbow's tendency to ramble, but I did; furthermore, I'm not entirely sure that "ramble" is the right verb for what does in his delivery--maybe "explore" is more appropriate? Books by writers about writing (especially when the writer is a critical writer discussing critical writing) can be so dry, yet this book is anything but, and I attribute this to the fact the author wandered a little and played a lot. That said, I could tell he and his editor kept an eye on the tendrils of his prosaic Ivy and either redirected it when necessary or clipped it when it needed to be cut back. But just as an onomatopoeia plays at sounding like object it is emulating, Elbow is providing an example for the creativity of thinking that comes from writing.
I only wish I'd read this before I taught my first college composition class, and really, now that I think about it, I wish I'd read it back in the day when I was a still a student and taking my very first writing and rhetoric courses. I recommend this book to teachers and students alike. My only complaint is that the book employed only male pronouns, and I can only hope that in its next edition, it will catch up with the times and remedy this error.
I only wish I'd read this before I taught my first college composition class, and really, now that I think about it, I wish I'd read it back in the day when I was a still a student and taking my very first writing and rhetoric courses. I recommend this book to teachers and students alike. My only complaint is that the book employed only male pronouns, and I can only hope that in its next edition, it will catch up with the times and remedy this error.
March 12, 2016
Elbow has a down to earth attitude on writing, and an understanding attitude towards writers. I love how he explains the freewriting method - better than anyone I've read so far. And I find this book very helpful for contemplating my own processes. It's good for writing both fact and fiction.
May 15, 2018
Peter Elbow is friendly, understanding, and helpful. He is immanently on the side of the reader (writer reading), offering inspiration and encouragement, while never letting us forget that the task of writing is an enormous challenge, impossible to fully master.
Here's the beef: Elbow makes you want to write. It took me five months to read this book because I kept having to put it down and spend several weeks trying out its ideas. He makes you want to take on the risks and the challenges of writing, and of working to write well. His text moves smoothly from one idea to the next, always offering clear advice and earthy encouragement. The book touches us with inspiration, yet it remains fully grounded in the nitty gritty of the writer's real work.
The last chapter clinches it. The author writes about the magic of writing, and he invests real power in the word. It is not a cliche; it is the word magic that connects to the deepest sense of being human, and what it means to use language, and what it meant to our distant ancestors for whom the word held so much mystery, so much real power. Elbow dares the reader to see their writing in that way and in the same breath (in his typical, excellent way) reminds them that the key to writing is to just dump as many words as possible (crap and all) on the paper, and sort it out later in revision.
Peter Elbow writes brilliantly. This book is for anyone who wants to write: expository writing, creative writing, poetry, business writing, writing for school work... I very very strongly recommend it.
Here's the beef: Elbow makes you want to write. It took me five months to read this book because I kept having to put it down and spend several weeks trying out its ideas. He makes you want to take on the risks and the challenges of writing, and of working to write well. His text moves smoothly from one idea to the next, always offering clear advice and earthy encouragement. The book touches us with inspiration, yet it remains fully grounded in the nitty gritty of the writer's real work.
The last chapter clinches it. The author writes about the magic of writing, and he invests real power in the word. It is not a cliche; it is the word magic that connects to the deepest sense of being human, and what it means to use language, and what it meant to our distant ancestors for whom the word held so much mystery, so much real power. Elbow dares the reader to see their writing in that way and in the same breath (in his typical, excellent way) reminds them that the key to writing is to just dump as many words as possible (crap and all) on the paper, and sort it out later in revision.
Peter Elbow writes brilliantly. This book is for anyone who wants to write: expository writing, creative writing, poetry, business writing, writing for school work... I very very strongly recommend it.
January 24, 2017
Not a very fluid read, each chapter could be its own handout or pamphlet about writing technique. The book is not a fluid discussion of writing, composition theory, or approaches to crafting meaning out of words - it's more a bunch of exercises and tips on how to write in different modalities and make it enjoyable as well as a good product at the end. I didn't like this book as much as Writing without Teachers - I would read that one if you are more theory minded, and use this one for ideas for things to do with your writers' group or a class.
November 2, 2007
I love Peter Elbow! Chances are, if you teach writing, you know who Peter Elbow is. If you haven't read this book yet, do so as soon as possible! I'm hoping to read David Bartholomae's "Inventing the University" soon so I can compare the two.
May 23, 2018
While many of Elbow’s tips are useful and are tips that I do intend to make use of in my future writing, I think the delivery could have been better.
Review: Writing with Power by Peter Elbow
Review: Writing with Power by Peter Elbow
October 12, 2007
If it weren’t for this book, I never would have started writing. (Sad, perhaps, but true.) I am a writer only because I'm a freewriter.
July 9, 2021
Writing with Power is filled with relevant and useful information. The reader, if s/he finishes this book (which can be tedious and hard to get through) will learn a great deal about writing.
Professor Elbow knows a lot about this subject, and he shares what he knows, which can be overwhelming, because he doesn't hold back.
He explains and over explains. He will tell the reader plainly what a passage means and then he will explain his explanations, often with illustrations, to support the explanations.
I wanted to tear my hair out! I wanted to throw this book in the trash! But knowing how much I would learn, I kept reading and I don't regret it.
But, if I were to read another of his books, I'd prepare myself first for his style of writing, which I believe is the result of his vast knowledge and his great desire to share all of it with us readers.
Professor Elbow knows a lot about this subject, and he shares what he knows, which can be overwhelming, because he doesn't hold back.
He explains and over explains. He will tell the reader plainly what a passage means and then he will explain his explanations, often with illustrations, to support the explanations.
I wanted to tear my hair out! I wanted to throw this book in the trash! But knowing how much I would learn, I kept reading and I don't regret it.
But, if I were to read another of his books, I'd prepare myself first for his style of writing, which I believe is the result of his vast knowledge and his great desire to share all of it with us readers.
January 1, 2015
I've read scores of books on writing. This may be the best one.
Elbow has clearly thought about words for a long time and his book is the distilled gold from that thinking--a treasury of insight into the intricacies of the writing process and a conceptual toolbox full of techniques to get you writing fluently and effectively. His advice applies equally well to creative and expository writing.
The book falters a bit in presentation. To integrate the many good ideas into my daily practice, I'll have to review the material several times and I wish the book had been designed with a greater awareness for the reader's need to review. A visual reference chart would have been helpful to keep track of the techniques and their uses.
Also, Elbow is so good at thinking about writing that sometimes he thinks too much. I'm sure that musing on a variety of possible ideas was helpful to the author's own writing process, but some of his notions are too windy, and the book could have been much more powerful without them.
Despite my minor frustrations, I say again: this may be the most helpful book on writing I have ever read. The author has the uncanny ability to get inside a writer's mind and speak to you directly from where you're struggling. There were many things I'd been doing--some right, some wrong, but most of them unconsciously. Elbow helps you become a more conscious writer and presents a wide array of non-gimmicky tools that help generate high-level work. He also completely re-conceptualizes what it means to write and, in the process, he can bring even the most alienated writer back into the fold, making writing approachable, useful, and even fun.
Elbow has clearly thought about words for a long time and his book is the distilled gold from that thinking--a treasury of insight into the intricacies of the writing process and a conceptual toolbox full of techniques to get you writing fluently and effectively. His advice applies equally well to creative and expository writing.
The book falters a bit in presentation. To integrate the many good ideas into my daily practice, I'll have to review the material several times and I wish the book had been designed with a greater awareness for the reader's need to review. A visual reference chart would have been helpful to keep track of the techniques and their uses.
Also, Elbow is so good at thinking about writing that sometimes he thinks too much. I'm sure that musing on a variety of possible ideas was helpful to the author's own writing process, but some of his notions are too windy, and the book could have been much more powerful without them.
Despite my minor frustrations, I say again: this may be the most helpful book on writing I have ever read. The author has the uncanny ability to get inside a writer's mind and speak to you directly from where you're struggling. There were many things I'd been doing--some right, some wrong, but most of them unconsciously. Elbow helps you become a more conscious writer and presents a wide array of non-gimmicky tools that help generate high-level work. He also completely re-conceptualizes what it means to write and, in the process, he can bring even the most alienated writer back into the fold, making writing approachable, useful, and even fun.
March 29, 2021
Criterion Based Q's:
1. What is the quality of the content: ideas, perceptions, POV?
2. How well is the writing organized?
3. How effective is the style?
I want feedback on...
For the intended audience, most successful?
What is the simplest change I could make that would create the biggest improvement?
What one thing should I try to work on or think about in my next piece of writing?
What's the largest change...(mine)
Write conversationally if you write over heads
Use dialogue to create debate
Brainstorming: first thoughts, prejudices, instant versions, narratives, scenes, portraits, errors, lies, vary audience/style, etc.
Writing is journey out and back
Quick edits of freewrites: edit for effectiveness and purpose
"Revising requires wisdom, judgment, and maturity. There is no way to get these qualities except through practice and experience. ... only scarred old pros revise brilliantly."
"It is true that I believe most people need to learn to exploit chaos better in their writing: it helps break down preconceptions and old frameworks and permits growth and new ideas."
1. What is the quality of the content: ideas, perceptions, POV?
2. How well is the writing organized?
3. How effective is the style?
I want feedback on...
For the intended audience, most successful?
What is the simplest change I could make that would create the biggest improvement?
What one thing should I try to work on or think about in my next piece of writing?
What's the largest change...(mine)
Write conversationally if you write over heads
Use dialogue to create debate
Brainstorming: first thoughts, prejudices, instant versions, narratives, scenes, portraits, errors, lies, vary audience/style, etc.
Writing is journey out and back
Quick edits of freewrites: edit for effectiveness and purpose
"Revising requires wisdom, judgment, and maturity. There is no way to get these qualities except through practice and experience. ... only scarred old pros revise brilliantly."
"It is true that I believe most people need to learn to exploit chaos better in their writing: it helps break down preconceptions and old frameworks and permits growth and new ideas."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 29, 2019
Writing with Power is a book about how to improve writing, interwoven with the author's thoughts about writing, examples, and personal history around the different subjects. It's a solid three stars, which to me means "it does the job." I've learned a lot from it and I'm looking forward to incorporating its lessons into my notes. I might have given it four if I hadn't been on a mission as I read it: I was looking for techniques to improve my writing and didn't need all the extras.
I thought the most useful sections were "More Ways of Getting Words on Paper," chapters 7-11 of the second edition, which had several creative ways to generate ideas and turn them into prose, and "Writing and Magic," in which Elbow dares to tap into our sixth senses in an otherwise straightforward book.
I thought it was well worth the read -- or in my case, the skim, breezing through it to find good ideas.
I thought the most useful sections were "More Ways of Getting Words on Paper," chapters 7-11 of the second edition, which had several creative ways to generate ideas and turn them into prose, and "Writing and Magic," in which Elbow dares to tap into our sixth senses in an otherwise straightforward book.
I thought it was well worth the read -- or in my case, the skim, breezing through it to find good ideas.
February 4, 2016
I don't want to admit how long it took me to finally make it to the end of this book.
I found a lot of his ideas very useful, and I intend on keeping this book on hand as a reference. I particularly liked the ending chapters on "juice," and the beginning chapters on writing even when you're not in the mood.
What I didn't like about this book, and the reason it took me so long to get through, was how unnecessarily wordy the author was. Each chapter, though short, took me such a long time to get through because when he didn't get directly to the point I would set the book down out of boredom or my eyes would glaze over and I would have to reread a passage over and over again. It was such a relief when I finally made it to the end though, and I'm glad that I continually forced myself to keep trudging through because there was a lot of useful information hidden between the lines.
I found a lot of his ideas very useful, and I intend on keeping this book on hand as a reference. I particularly liked the ending chapters on "juice," and the beginning chapters on writing even when you're not in the mood.
What I didn't like about this book, and the reason it took me so long to get through, was how unnecessarily wordy the author was. Each chapter, though short, took me such a long time to get through because when he didn't get directly to the point I would set the book down out of boredom or my eyes would glaze over and I would have to reread a passage over and over again. It was such a relief when I finally made it to the end though, and I'm glad that I continually forced myself to keep trudging through because there was a lot of useful information hidden between the lines.
November 11, 2017
Well I had to bow out of this one, it just wasn't what I was expecting. I was hoping more for a fiction writing book, but this seems to be aimed more towards a business/essay/letter writer. There was some decent advice, but nothing that really worked for me. It might be good for someone that has to write a lot of business reviews or long emails.
You can check it out if you want, but just know in the end some advice works and some doesn't.
You can check it out if you want, but just know in the end some advice works and some doesn't.
March 13, 2019
There is useful information in this book. I found 3-4 chapters that really meant something to me for where I am with my writing now: freewriting, poetry, revision, description. It is a bit of a tedious read at times. It seems to drag at times. Elbow is of the "process" writing mentality. I get a sense that a lot of people just have difficulty opening a vein and bleeding on the page. They may find this a better guide for them. I will probably refer back to this from time to time.
March 25, 2007
A whole range of different ways to get words out on paper (or onscreen) and then revise them, for whatever task is at hand, and however long you have to do it, and whatever quality, regardless of whether you've procrastinated to the last minute or are taking years to get it right. A very encouraging and permission-granting angle on how to get past writing blocks and just get it done.
September 9, 2007
I only got two-thirds of the way through the book because I had read the same information elsewhere in a manner that was more readable to me.
Beginning writers or people struggling with writer's block would probably get something from it, though, even if all they did was skim the section introductions and the chapter summaries.
Beginning writers or people struggling with writer's block would probably get something from it, though, even if all they did was skim the section introductions and the chapter summaries.
August 15, 2012
A very long but worthwhile read. I was first introduced to freewriting when I read "Accidental Genius" (which I loved and was based on Writing With Power) and have been meaning to read this one ever since. There was so much information in this book, and so many techniques to practice, that I'm sure I'll be referencing it for months to come.
August 31, 2007
Peter Elbow is by far my favortie writer. He doesn't write creatively, but he can write engaging instruction, and insightful teachings on writing. If you ever get into academic writing (academic journals and such), look him up.
October 20, 2010
One of my pedagogical heroes. Lots of creative possibilities for writing here (everything from poetry to memoranda). Plus, his last name is Elbow! How do you beat that?
May 14, 2013
A very optimistic, hope-filled book on writing and writing techniques. Good for writers and writing teachers alike.
June 20, 2015
I really liked this one. The voice was good and he gave good advice. Something about it just clicked for me.
May 23, 2016
An essential book for anyone looking to improve their writing process and become more prolific in their writing.
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May 11, 2022Solid advice but you have to muck your way through lengthy explanations and examples. I’ll keep it as a resource but I will never read it cover to cover again.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews