The Elements of Active Prose: Writing Tips to Make Your Prose Shine: Tahlia Newland

You’ve written a book of fiction. You want to make it the best it can be. ‘The Elements of Active Prose’ gives you pithy tips for improving your writing scene by scene, sentence by sentence. If you’ve ever wondered what is meant by the advice to ‘show, don’t tell’ you’ll find the answer here, along with reassurance that such advice is not something that must be slavishly adhered to. The book also includes guidance for beta readers, clarification of often misunderstood terms and misused punctuation, the main differences between US and UK English, and advice on developing a professional attitude, reviewing fairly, working with editors, and dealing with criticism.

Drawing on her considerable experience as a line editor and as a reviewer for the Awesome Indies, the author explains the influence various word usages have on the reader’s experience and points out traps to avoid if you want your writing to look professional.

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“Tahlia Newland has written a concise and valuable guide for authors who want to make their prose dynamic and engaging.” Mary Maddox, BA Hons Creative Writing, and recipient of a Writer’s Grant and two Literary Awards from the Illinois Arts Council.

“If you only buy one writer’s reference book this year, this pithy, full-of-good-information book on how to jumpstart your prose should be it.” Charles Ray, journalist, writing tutor and reviewer.

“Elements is a really useful ‘go-to’ book for writers wanting to self-edit their early drafts, and for editors themselves to use as a checklist or quick reference.  Concise, punchy and clearly written, it’s a goldmine for anyone working with words.” Kevin Berry, Editor.

“I can definitely recommend this book to authors who are swimming in the void without anything in the way of concrete advice on how to beef up prose. This book is concise, well written, and laid out with reference in mind. It’s easy to navigate as well, with clear examples of where many writers get hung up.” Brent Mesks, Assistant Professor, English at JoongBu University