Word Painting

You want to touch the heart of the reader? This
book will map it out for you. Sight, sound, smell,
touch, brings the reader into the fictional dream
and keeps him there. A must for your writer's toolbox.

This author's writing is exciting to read. I've learned more from reading this book than any other writing books that I've read.

Weak, unconsidered, cliche ridden, mundane, obvious, repetitive -- How are those for a few descriptions? Well, they fit. This is not a good book. She repeats the most obvious and then repeats them again (where was the editor?). Some facts are just wrong, such as most scholars see simile and metaphor as the same. I am sure those who say they "highlighted" it or "read it over and over" must either have been dreaming or reading a different book. It's one long bad Writers Magazine article, one that says, Hey try using "carmine" instead of "red." Try using a metaphor instead of simply saying it was "brown." Duh. Keep reading the reviews, past the ones her friends wrote and you'll see the real reviews -- it just is not a good book at all.

Word Painting was recommended by an excellent writer. I ended up reading the book, cover to cover, four times. Each time I came away with numerous fresh ideas. This book does more than lay down and explain a list of rules. It also draws from the works and advice of great authors in a way that makes reading the book enjoyable as well as instructive. Ms. McClanahan's own experiences, as related in the book, were particularly beneficial, often coming back to remind me how I could make the passage before me more palatable to the reader. The exercises were not as helpful to me as they might be for others, but they are marvelous drills for the more disiplined reader. Whether you want to improve your ability to write a novel, a report, a legal brief, a letter or an e-mail message, try this book!

Word Painting by Rebecca McClanahan is, without a doubt, one of the best writing related books I have ever purchased. Oh, other reference books have come and gone -- mostly to an auction site or a used bookstore -- but Word Painting is one that stays on my shelf and won't be going anywhere.

Is it a book heavy on technical information? Absolutely. At times it reads like a textbook for a writing class, so that might surprise some. But the more I read this book (and I go back to re-read it regularly) the more I learn. To say that Word Painting is merely a book that teaches you how to write more descriptively would be an injustice to the material contained inside.

Word Painting tackles all the standard writing "must knows" like tenses and points of view, moves on to the art of creating your own, unique similes and metaphors (avoiding the cliche), tackles passive vs. active & cluttered vs. uncluttered prose, then moves on to the biggies like setting, and how writing descriptively weaves into narration, description, and exposition to form the larger framework of your overall story...how writing descriptively affects your narrative voice.

McClanahan teaches you to look at the world, people and things around you with an "artist's" eye, noticing texture and sound and light, then guides you through translating what you see and hear and smell and touch onto the page in words so the reader can experience that with you.

Not only did this book teach me the importance of description and how it helps shape a story, it taught me the importance of all the various elements of fiction writing AND how to write them in a balance. Each chapter is full of useful information, but I'm not going to lie and say that it's not heavy reading. It is. But then writing is an art and a skill and it takes time, dedication, and the willingness to hone your skills into the craft. This is not light afternoon reading, and it's definitely a book you have to keep coming back to again and again because what you missed one time will click in the next, then something else the next. To me, that's an indispensable writing tool because it's not a one shot deal like so many other books that you buy, read once, then never read again. Word Painting -- like your writing -- is an evolving book that grows with you.

When people ask me for "how to write" book recommendations, Word Painting is first (and often only) book that comes to mind.