Seven Steps to Confident Writing

178 Pages·2016·2.19 MB·English

by  Alan Gelb

Praise for Seven Steps to Confident Writing
“The blank page can strike terror in the heart of any would-be writer. Alan Gelb
has the remedy: simple, practical steps that turn a daunting task into a process
anyone can master.”
— June Casagrande, author of The Joy of Syntax and It Was the Best of
Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences
“Alan Gelb offers practical direction and inspiring models to guide even the
reluctant writer forward. In his book Seven Steps to Confident Writing, Gelb
shows readers how to engage in the writing process and how to embrace the
elements of style that will lead to writing success whether you are writing an
office memo or a movie script. ‘Writing requires enormous effort,’ writes Gelb,
but as a master coach he guides readers toward the ‘enormous satisfaction in
bringing a piece of writing to its best state.’ This is an important book that I look
forward to sharing with my students and others who need practical writing
guidance.”
— Sandra Marinella, author of The Story You Need to Tell
“As a writer and teacher of writing, I find Seven Steps to Confident Writing by
Alan Gelb to be exceptionally helpful. I have Gelb’s quotes on index cards
propped around my work space. His advice is succinct and clear. Reading Alan
Gelb’s book charges me with renewed energy, and I find myself heading for my
latest draft to polish and refine the work.”
— Tina Welling, author of Writing Wild
“In Seven Steps to Confident Writing, Alan Gelb proves that confident writing is
a skill that can be taught. He lays out practical steps and clear guidance that any
writer can follow to edit and strengthen his or her writing. I look forward to
using this resource with my own writing students.”
— Denise Jaden, author of Fast Fiction and Story Sparks
“Alan Gelb demystifies good writing in a tone that’s both warm and no-
nonsense. What shines through is his own love of writing — the fundamentals,
the precision of language, the structure of sentences (including my favorite
sentence from Stuart Little), the search for your true voice, and the lapidary
work of rewriting. He modestly asserts that if you’re looking to write a novel or
memoir, this may not be the book for you, but I disagree. This is a book for
anyone who wants to be a better writer — no matter what your experience.”
— Barbara Abercrombie, author of A Year of Writing Dangerously
“At the same time that writing skills are deteriorating, people in all walks of life
— solo entrepreneurs, managers, engineers, and millions more — are obliged to
communicate well. Writing is the skill needed today, and Alan Gelb’s Seven
Steps to Confident Writing is an essential guide for anyone who must write in
order to stay competitive.”
— Eric Maisel, author of A Writer’s Paris

Also by Alan Gelb
Conquering the College Admissions Essay in 10 Steps: Crafting a Winning
Personal Statement
Having the Last Say: Capturing Your Legacy in One Small Story

New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949
Copyright © 2019 by Alan Gelb All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, or other
— without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a
review.
Text design by Tona Pearce Myers Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Gelb, Alan,
author.
Title: Seven steps to confident writing / Alan Gelb.
Description: Novato, California : New World Library, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2018047668 (print) | LCCN 2018060995 (ebook) | ISBN 9781608685455 (e-book) |
ISBN 9781608685448 (print : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781608685455 (Ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Authorship--
Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC PN147 (ebook) | LCC PN147 .G43 2019 (print) | DDC 808.02--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018047668
First printing, March 2019
ISBN 978-1-60868544-8
Ebook ISBN 978-1-60868545-5
Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper
New World Library is proud to be a Gold Certified Environmentally Responsible Publisher. Publisher
certification awarded by Green Press Initiative.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction
Step One: See the Big Picture
Step Two: Gear Up
Step Three: Tell Stories
Step Four: Revel in the Amazing, Expandable, Elastic, Evolving Sentence
Step Five: Move from Draft to Draft
Step Six: Watch Your Tone
Step Seven: Do the Lapidary Work
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
Introduction
W
e hear much in the media about the death of the written word and how
woefully deficient today’s students are in writing skills. Although there
may be solid empirical evidence to back up such claims, I work year in and year
out with high school students, and I don’t see such a dire problem. The majority
of my students possess basic writing competencies, even if they don’t seem to
value or enjoy the act of writing very much. For the most part, they know how to
string sentences together and have some understanding of paragraph structure,
but they don’t seem to have ever experienced the pleasure that comes with
hitting that writing “sweet spot.”
Within a week or two of our working together, however, I often see
significant improvement in both attitude and accomplishment. My writers begin
to understand that writing is not something you get right or wrong, but rather is
something you work at — arduously, exactingly, even achingly, but sometimes
with delight. They come to see that writing lends itself to collaboration in which
writer and editor both play a part, and they commit themselves to the work,
which can be fun and ultimately rewarding.
In the relatively brief time that we intersect, these writers, at first indifferent
to the work, start to make a case for why a certain word or phrase should be
preserved, even if I suggest otherwise. As we labor in the trenches together, they
assert their sense of ownership over their work and demand to be honored as
writers. And, of course, I accord them that honor, thrilled to see their investment
in their product.
Interestingly, among the legion of students I have coached, only about two or
three stand out in my mind as having been exceptional writers whose prose
possessed the kind of energy and flow that really cannot be taught. Those
individuals had a love of language, a confidence in their articulation, and the
ability to order their thoughts — all qualities that placed them well ahead of their
peers.
On the other end of the spectrum, I can still recall a few students whose