Why read Writing With Power?

Book cover of Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process

Book description

Writing with Power is a guide for the student writing an essay, the professional writer working on a story, or the manager writing a memo for a tight deadline. As Elbow explains, "Writing with power doesn't just mean getting power over readers. It means getting power over yourself and over…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Writing With Power as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Barbara Baig

Author

Decades ago, when I was a young and confused college writing instructor, I found this book; although later in my teaching career, I developed a different approach from Elbow’s, I’ll always be grateful to him for this foundational book. Elbow was one of a number of teachers at the time who realized the need to show inexperienced writers that writing is not a one-step, blank-page-to-final-draft affair; it’s a process.

Elbow’s technique of freewriting now appears in every writing workshop. Other techniques from the book, especially focused freewriting and considering the audience, are less well-known but extremely useful. This book gave…

From Barbara's list on The best books for achieving writing excellence.