             
 |
|
|
Political Writing: A Guide to the Essentials
E-text available Click here to preview or purchase. |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
Comments/Reviews
Description: Writing well, and persuasively, is a discipline that can be learned. This book introduces the essential skills, rules, and steps for producing effective political prose appropriate to many contexts, from the editorial, the op-ed, and the polemical essay to other forms both weighty and seemingly slight. Drafting commission reports, policy memoranda, and press releases requires skill. Writing speeches or ghosting essays for a principal calls upon special sensitivities. There are rules for ceremonial remarks, letters, and toasts; blogging is best done with some discipline; and the editorial arts are both various and undervalued. Author Adam Garfinkle, founding editor of The American Interest, with long experience as a political prose writer in many venues, developed a course in political writing for interns working in government and think tank offices in Washington, DC. This book makes that course, along with a sprinkling of the author's trademark wit and wisdom, widely available.
Selected Contents:
Foreword
Introduction: How This Book Came to Be
1. Fundamentals of Rhetoric and Polemic
2. Becoming a Better Writer
3. Writing Better Still
4. The Essay
5. The Review
6. The Op-Ed
7. Speechwriting
8. Letters, Toasts, and Ceremonials
9. Memoranda
10. Commission Reports
11. Blogs
12. A Philosophy of Editing
Some Parting Words
Index
About the Author
Comment(s): "In these pages, Adam Garfinkle holds up a standard of excellence for how to think, argue, and be ... not only how to present an argument and write a column, but how to be a serious person. ... If you absorb the wisdom that he has distilled in this little book, it will help you to have a much bigger impact on this world." -- From the Foreword by David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times and commentator on the PBS NewsHour
" Political Writing is much more than its title suggests. It is an ode to quality reading and a hymn to clear thinking. For those who seek leadership in the public arena and who are not gifted with Abraham Lincoln's or Henry Adams's expressive talents, this book deserves to be a constant guidebook." -- Gary Hart, Co-chair, U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century
"Political writing is part art, part technique, and part persuasion--and Adam Garfinkle blends them all together in this smart and engaging guide for those who want to make a difference through their words. Garfinkle's book is built on the premise that there's an inner writer in all of us, and it teaches us how to invest words with power and prose with influence. It is also a book that practices what it teaches--it is gracefully written, appreciative of its readers, and filled not merely with information but with insights, illustrations, and knowledge." -- Leonard Steinhorn, School of Communication, American University; author of The Greater Generation: In Defense of the Baby Boom Legacy
"The lessons I learned in Adam Garfinkle's 'political wordsmithing' course ... have guided me through countless projects and helped me avoid mistakes. ... Read the book. It will be one of the most invaluable 'classes' you ever take, and you will be a much better writer because of it." -- Brittany Logan, UCDC Class of 2007, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism Class of 2013
"If political people heeded Adam Garfinkle's advice about writing--delivered with wisdom, concision, and style--our discourse would be more decent, our debates more fair-minded, and the public interest served far better than it is now. Hear him!" -- Eliot A. Cohen, Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and Counselor of the Department of State (2007-2009)
Review(s): "Persuasion is a useful skill in a democracy-indispensable if you are to win the battle of ideas. Adam Garfinkle wants to be your coach. His game plan is in Political Writing. ... There is as much encouragement here as censure. At its core, this little book has a big, even a noble, purpose: making intellectuals from scratch." -- The Washington Times
"There are a lot of insights throughout the book that makes it not only highly entertaining to read, but also easier to grasp concepts discussed. If you want to become a better writer, or are seeking to 'develop your internal standards of excellence,' this is a must read. And you really don't have to be into politics." -- People, Spaces, Deliberation blog of the World Bank
"This is an excellent book which provides the basic tools required to branch out into the world of rhetoric and oratory. By demonstrating how political rhetoric can be communicated through blogs, speeches, and reports, it provides a valuable assessment and guide on how a message can be conveyed in a convincing and insightful manner. As such, this book is of value to politicians and scholars alike." -- Andrew S. Crines, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Review of Books
"For writing and journalism students and professionals, this guide to political writing examines a variety of writing forms and formats, and provides concise practical guidelines for effective political communication." -- Reference and Research Book News
    
|