Make Every Word Count

by Gary Provost

You will be a better writer once you read this book. Gary Provost has a light-hearted style, but his message is clear and Make Every Word Count.

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction, Reference

208 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1980

Reviews

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Gary Provost. I love his conversational writing style. He says things in a way that makes them easy to grasp and apply to your own writing. This book was written in the 1980s but all of it still applies to writing today. The title alone is a lesson--Make Every Word Count. And he goes on to teach you exactly how to do that. His explanation of writing that works made me rethink my approach to writing. he has a section called "If The Writer is Seen at Work, The Writing Won't Work" that really made me understand that issue in writing. He sets out to communicate and he does a brilliant job doing that. He doesn't make writing obscure or difficult. He clarifies how to do it and do it well. I definitely recommend this book to all writers at any level of their careers. There are many gems in it worth discovering.

[Ravi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Provost offers simple and beautiful tips to come up with writing that works well-whether you write fiction or nonfiction, articles or books, technical or otherwise. He uses easy to understand examples and scenarios to deliver his message. True to the title, he makes every word count.

I have gained some useful insights to be able to write better-whether at work or elsewhere. A very good read.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really wonderful booked packed with lots of great advice and well-chosen examples. I think a lot of topics that Provost touched on were things that I knew in an intuitive sense but had never actually given any detailed thought to. Hearing it explained in a somewhat structural way was very helpful.

Also, as a native Wisconsinite, I was thrilled that the author chose "visiting Elgin, Illinois" as the recurring metaphor for dull and boring writing :P

[Adam Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 100 pages started off really strong but then faded to just general advice. It’s also difficult to write a book for fiction and nonfiction. I picked it up for the latter. I got some good tips from reading and a bit of a refresher about principles of strong writing. Would recommend for anyone new or enthusiastic about writing.

[Iliiaz Akhmedov · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book teaches you to play the word piano!

…and we are already on these tunes by texting friends or doing work. Your readers time is the impression canvas, don't ruin it!

While there are always writing objectives, this offers a great variety starting with "wordiness" and ending with "perspective".

Of course, the book was pretty well written, although page value density was sparse.

[Dinesh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great advice

The book details some useful tips on writing. It is easy to read and grasp the concepts that are put forth. There is a newer version with more content that would be a better buy. The newer version has a similar name.

[S.S. Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gary Provost lists all the buttons to hit while writing. I guess if you want a middle of the road book follow these soft rules. Which are not bad, and credit to him he lists them in detail. So now that you know the rules, don't be afraid to break them!

[Christian Jespersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best book on writing, I have ever read.

Short chapters that explains different elements in writing; why they work; with excellent examples.

[Dinesh Perera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that teaches you tricks of writing and then shows examples of how they are pulled off. There is a never version that has more content.

[Beldin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Gary Provost’s work in Writer’s Digest magazine pre-internet. It was, and still is, the source in providing advice on writing, editing, marketing. His books on writing sit in close reach. This book is one of them.

His genuine concern for writers and those aspiring to be can be felt in his books, in his process of helping others. The education he provides is valued and cherished by many, including myself. To understand where he’s coming from, read his Introduction. And as you move on to the first section, you’ll see that he believes that writing can be taught. The rest is focused on honing your craft with samples, exercises, and ways to make your writing stronger.

[Samantha Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books I think every writer should read. If you're beginning your writing journey, it is overflowing with advice that you will spend months and months and revision after revision perfecting--but in a completely good way. And if you're somewhere further along, you've probably picked up most of these great tidbits (although maybe not all of them!) and it's a fabulous reminder of how to make your prose sing. Gary's advice is concrete, and he even gives practice examples to help you along in your journey.

The bonus is that Gary puts his advice into practice. This was one of the more entertaining, readable books I've had the joy of perusing this year. I've read fiction that's less entertaining.

[Zora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with his book Beyond Style, there is no better introduction to crucial elements of writing good fiction and creative nonfiction (this would apply to nature writing, memoir, many sorts of journalism). In short chapters he explains, clearly and with humor, why you should pick active voice over passive, select strong verbs, pay attention to concrete images, eschew overblown language, and more.

If a budding fiction writer were to only read one book on how to write, this should be it.