Power Write is not your ordinary, run-of-the mill “how to” guide to the art of writing. It is a leisurely, affable stroll towards empowerment for even the most verbally challenged student. Aimed primarily at the beginning creative writer, Power Write presents a fresh approach to the craft of writing that students of any discipline will find illuminating. As someone who teaches a discipline-specific “writing intensive” course at the liberal arts college level, I have found Power Write to be indispensable: it helps me to identify, analyze, and explain students' writing problems more effectively .
Wayne Stier sets out to win over the fearful writer by demystifying the process itself. In doing so, he reminds us of the obvious (something so often ignored by students today), “Good writing is always the result of much practice” (p. 12). To this end, he unleashes the embryonic writer at the outset, assigning a simple journal exercise in which the student has to write a minimum of five hundred words a day for the next one hundred days. What might feel painful and awkward at first becomes easier over time as the budding writer gains confidence, becomes more observant, and gradually begins to find a voice. Throughout the book, journal exercises and writing “challenges” keep the student actively engaged in the learning process .
Putting words on a page, however, is only the first step. The next step is to build up the writer's technical skills. Stier does this most efficiently, beginning with the nuts and bolts (words, sentences, and paragraphs) and progressing to broader issues of organization (transitions, the thesis or “Red Thread” statement, and the importance of an outline in defining large-scale structure). He keeps the concepts short, simple, and straightforward, providing easy-to-understand and often humorous examples. While these lessons are applicable to any kind of writing, Stier puts them all together to demonstrate instant empowerment in the form the argumentative essay. Whether the task is a college essay or a legal brief, Stier shows us the combined power of words and organization to sway a reader's opinion .
The final step is the polishing process. It never ceases to amaze me how many of my college students believe they can write well on the first attempt and how little effort they are willing to put into the real work of writing: rewriting. Stier, in contrast, stresses the importance of the rewriting process and provides some concrete strategies for recognizing one's own weaknesses and correcting them oneself. It is in this section that Stier addresses grammatical issues in a friendly, non-threatening way. Instead of presenting a series of pedantic rules followed by a series of disconnected examples, he weaves essential grammatical information skillfully into the fabric of his narrative. He also works practical and helpful tips wittily into his prose. For example, by identifying certain words or phrases as “weasel words” (almost, usually, maybe, nearly, perhaps, etc.) or “weed words” (needless to say, basically, essentially, in fact, etc.) Stier shows the student quickly and clearly why such words detract from the strength of an argument. These and other tips alert the budding writer to weak and risky techniques, explaining clearly why such often-used techniques are ill advised .
Together, these steps add up to Stier's method, P.O.W.E.R: Pick a subject, Organize, Write, Edit/Evaluate, and Rewrite. The end result is that Wayne Stier has produced a rarity in the academic world * a down-to-earth, truly useful book * armed only with an engaging sense of humor and the ghost of Mrs. Flycheck, his 7th-grade schoolteacher, looking over his shoulder. Power Write is the best self-help manual on the art of writing that I have seen in a long time .
Reviewed by
Margaret Sarkissian
Smith College Click here to read more review
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