Clark at the 2011 Texas Book Festival | |
| Born | 1948 (age 70–71) |
|---|---|
| Education | Providence College, B.A. (1970) State University of New York at Stony Book, PhD |
| Occupation | Journalist Teacher |
| Years active | 1974–present |
Notable credit(s) | Writing Tools The Glamour of Grammar Help! For Writers |
| Spouse(s) | Karen |
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer by Roy Peter Clark will help you communicate better, whether writing speeches, reports, handouts, or articles. As I breezed through Writing Tools, I confessed to my wife that I felt inspired to write. Pdf download Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer Full by Roy Peter Clark Title: Writing Tools( 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer).
Roy Peter Clark (born 1948) is an American writer, editor, and teacher of writing who has become a writing coach to an international community of students, journalists, and writers. He is also senior scholar and vice president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a journalism think-tank in St. Petersburg, Florida, and is the founder of the National Writers Workshop. Clark has appeared on several radio and television talk shows, speaking about ethics in journalism and other writing issues.[1]
- 2Works
- 4Selected bibliography
Life and career[edit]
Clark is a native of the Lower East Side of New York City, and was raised on Long Island. His mother was of half-Italian and half-Jewish ancestry (Clark was raised Catholic).[2][3] Clark earned a degree in English (1970) from Providence College, Rhode Island, where he was editor of The Alembic, a literary journal, and managing editor of the student-run newspaper, The Cowl.[4] From there, Clark earned a Ph.D. in English, specializing in medieval literature, from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
In 1974, Clark accepted a position teaching English at Auburn University at Montgomery, Alabama. Newspaper columns he wrote during that time attracted the attention of Eugene Patterson, editor of the St. Petersburg Times. Patterson hired Clark in 1977 as a reporter[5] and to work with the newspaper’s staff as a writing coach.
In 1979, Clark became a faculty member at, and has spent more than thirty years working in various positions with the Poynter Institute, the non-profit organization that now owns Times Publishing Company, which publishes the St. Petersburg Times.[6] Clark is listed as one of the Directors and Officers of The Poynter Institute Andrea Pitzer, writing for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, has called Clark “one of narrative journalism’s hardest working midwives.”[7]
The publication of his three most recent books, Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company, 2006) and The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company, 2010), and Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces (Little, Brown and Company, 2011) brings Clark’s work into the mainstream audience of readers, writers, and lovers of language.
Clark and his wife, Karen, have three daughters.
Works[edit]
Academic Works[edit]
Clark, a product of Catholic schools and the Dominican-run Providence College,[8] wrote several articles based on Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, some of which were published in The Chaucer Review and in which he discusses Chaucer's parodying of Church teachings and rituals. His Ph.D. dissertation was titled 'Chaucer and Medieval Scatology.'[9]
Journalism[edit]
Clark's journalistic writings include works written as a journalist and works written about journalism. As a journalist, Clark revitalized the serial article form when, in 1996, he wrote a 29-part serial narrative piece called Three Little Words which chronicled the story of one family's experience with AIDS.[10] The article generated more than 8,000 phone calls to the newspaper.[11]
Clark writes about journalism through his online articles written for the Poynter Institute. In an updated look at serial reporting, for instance, Clark discussed how tweeting, social media, and other forms of 21st century culture are being used to write mini serial narratives.[12]
Clark has also written and edited a number of books about journalism, some of which are used as textbooks in college journalism courses, including Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together (St. Martin's Press,1991, with Don Fry), the second edition of which was titled Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together across Media Platforms (Bedford-St. Martin's, 2003, with Don Fry), and Journalism: The Democratic Craft (Oxford University Press, 2005, with G. Stuart Adam).
On Writing[edit]
Clark has taught writing to professional journalists, scholastic journalists (generally speaking, the student producers of high school and other student-run newspapers), and elementary school students.
In his book, Free to Write: A Journalist Teaches Young Writers (Heinemann, 1987/1995), and in other writing,[13] Clark advocates putting the responsibility for correcting written work on the student rather than on the teacher.
Clark's more recent books are useful to writers of all genres and of all ages and discuss the power of language as well as how to wield that power.
Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer (Little, Brown and Company, 2006) grew out of a series of columns written for Poynter.[14] Clark discusses the 50 tools, including the 'clarity and narrative energy' (p. 12) that comes with using right-branching sentences, in podcasts, which, according to Poynter, have been 'downloaded more than a million times.'[15]
In The Glamour of Grammar: A Guide to the Magic and Mystery of Practical English (Little, Brown and Company, 2010), Clark traces the words 'glamour' and 'grammar' back to their common roots.
Clark also reports on how other writers write, as he did in a 2002 Poynter column about radio script writing, which he wrote after listening to a lecture by NPR reporter John Burnett.[16]
Radio and Television Appearances[edit]
Clark has been a guest on several radio and television programs.
Most notably, Clark participated in a discussion on the January 26, 2006, episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, 'Journalists Speak Out.' Clark, along with then New York Times columnist Frank Rich and Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen discussed the veracity of James Frey's memoir, A Million Little Pieces, which had been exposed by The Smoking Gun as being at least partially fictionalized.
Clark appeared on the October 12, 2006, episode of Oprah, 'Truth in America;' on the October 15, 2006, episode, 'Developing Critical Literacy,' Oprah referred to Clark's seven ways to develop a healthy skepticism, which included suggestions about reading political blogs from various perspectives, understanding the difference between 'vigorous discussion' and shouting matches, valuing middle ground, experiencing life directly and not indirectly through TV and other media, and which concluded with this distinction between skepticism and cynicism: 'Be a skeptic, but not a cynic. A skeptic doubts knowledge. A cynic doubts moral goodness. The cynic says, 'All politicians are liars,' or 'all journalists have a secret bias.' The skeptic says, 'That doesn't sound right to me. Show me the evidence.'[17]
The list above is a shorter version of another list Clark discussed in his Poynter.org post 'Skepticism: The Antidote to 'Truthiness' in American Government and Media.'[18]
Clark appeared on The Creative Nonfiction Podcast with Brendan O'Meara for two episodes, one abridged (Episode 48—Roy Peter Clark Redux), and one longer (Episode 42—Roy Peter Clark, America’s Writing Coach on Living Inside the Language, Lowering Standards, and the Meaning of Literacy).
Selected bibliography[edit]
Books[edit]
- Clark, R. P., and Fry, D. (1991). Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
- Adam, G. S., and Clark, R. P. (2005). Journalism: The Democratic Craft. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
- Clark, R. P., and Fry, D. (2003). Coaching Writers: Editors and Reporters Working Together across Media Platforms (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Bedford-St. Martin's.
Academic Articles[edit]
- Clark, R. P. (1976). Christmas Games in Chaucer's The Miller's Tale. Studies in Short Fiction, 13(3), 277.
- Clark, R. P. (Fall, 1976). Doubting Thomas in Chaucer's Summoner's Tale. The Chaucer Review, 11(2), 164-178. JSTOR25093381
Newspaper Articles[edit]
- Clark, R. P. (1996) Sadie's Ring. Originally published in the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer and theMiami Herald. Retrieved from http://www.poynterextra.org/extra/sring/sr_intro.htm
- Clark, R. P. (February, 1996). Three Little Words. Originally published in The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved from http://www.poynterextra.org/extra/3littlewords/3lw_intro.
References[edit]
- ^Clark, R. P. (March 3, 2011). Bio: Roy Peter Clark. Poynter Institute for Media Studies. http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/76031/bio-roy-peter-clark/
- ^'Archived copy'. Archived from the original on 2013-01-27. Retrieved 2012-10-06.CS1 maint: Archived copy as title (link)
- ^http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/89736/father-tim-russert-irish-catholicism-and-american-journalism/
- ^http://www.providence.edu/Alumni/Notable+Alumni/Clark.htm
- ^Roy Peter Clark, Vice President and Senior Scholar. (2011). Poynter Online NewsU Career Center. Retrieved from http://legacy2.poynter.org/seminar/faculty.asp?id=1711
- ^http://about.poynter.org/about-us/mission-history
- ^Pitzer, A. (November 9, 2011). Roy Peter Clark on 'the power of the parts' for storytelling. Nieman Foundation. http://niemanstoryboard.us/2010/11/09/roy-peter-clark-on-the-power-of-the-parts-for-storytelling/
- ^Clark, R. P. (March 3, 2011). Bio: Roy Peter Clark. Poynter Institute for Media Studies. http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/76031/bio-roy-peter-clark/
- ^Shea, A. (August 20, 2010). Sunday Book Review: The Poetry of Prose (The Glamour of Grammar). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/books/review/Shea-t.html?pagewanted=all
- ^Clark, R. P. (February, 1996). Three Little Words. The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved from http://www.poynterextra.org/extra/3littlewords/3lw_intro.htm
- ^Clark, R. P. (1996). Serial form can draw readers in for weeks. American Society of Newspaper Editors. Retrieved from http://asne.org/kiosk/editor/december/clark.htm
- ^Clark, R. P. (January 21, 2011). How journalists are using Facebook, Twitter to write mini serial narratives. The Poynter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/writing-tools/115607/how-journalists-are-using-facebook-twitter-to-write-mini-serial-narratives/
- ^Clark, R. P., (March, 1987). Making mistakes (is) a scream. The Play of Words: Issues in Writing, 60(7), 307-308. Retrieved from http://jstor.org/stable/30180966
- ^Clark, R. P. (June 18, 2002). Twenty tools for writers (Updated March 2, 2011: Thirty tools for writers). Poynter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/716/thirty-tools-for-writers/
- ^http://about.poynter.org/about-us/our-people/roy-peter-clark
- ^Clark, R. P. (August 3, 2002). Journeys in sound. Poynter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/uncategorized/1598/journeys-in-sound/
- ^Winfrey, O. (Producer). (October 15, 2006). The Oprah Winfrey Show [Television series episode]. Chicago, IL: Harpo Productions.
- ^Clark, R. P. (October 12, 2006). Skepticism: The antidote to 'Truthiness' in American government and media. Poynter Institute. Retrieved from http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/writing-tools/78751/skepticism-the-antidote-to-truthiness-in-american-government-and-media/
External links[edit]
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Preview — Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark
'Writing is a craft you can learn,' says Roy Peter Clark. 'You need tools, not rules.' His book distills decades of experience into 50 tools that will help any writer become more fluent and effective.
WRITING TOOLS covers everything from the mo...more
Be the first to ask a question about Writing Tools
Best Books on WritingWriting Tools 50 Essential Strategies For Every Writer Pdf Download Free
Writing TipsMore lists with this book...
From what you can see on the actual book's table of contents there are some differences from the the names of the tools and how it...more
'The receptive writer must convert debate into conversation. A debate ends with a winner and a loser. A conversation can conclude with both sides learning, and a promise of more good talk to come.'
'Think of writing as carpentry, and consider this book your toolbox. You can borrow a writing tool at any time'
Cool. How should I use these tools?
'Do not try to apply these tools all at once'
What's the best tool of them all?
'The most powerful tool on your workbench is oral reading'
So these tools will make me sound smarter?
'The writer cannot make something clear until the difficult subject is clear in the writer's head. Then, and only then, does she reach into the writer'...more
That's fantastic. The book gets the fifth star, though, for its outstanding structure/organization. Clark has built this book like a fractal image: Its pattern and value is the same from far as from near, and it’ll make you a bett...more
It's broken down into four parts...Nuts and Bolts; Special Effects; Blueprints; and Useful Habits. From the 4 subtitles, you can see it goes beyond just good grammar and proper usage. It is designed to not only help your writing, but improve your writing habits and give you new ways to think about your writing...more
The passage that resonated with me was his advice to not implement everything in t...more
Each chapter is bite-size, snackable content that got my writing wheels turning. The headers and taglines are memorable and I found myself writing notes in the margin and highlighting a lot of the book.
Clark's analogies stand out---comma is a speed bump; semi-colon is a rolling stop; co...more
Oct 01, 2016Nicola rated it really liked itAdmittedly, this is because it acts as a cliff's notes version of manymany other writing books. Roy Peter Clark swipes the best advice from Natalie Goldberg, Dorothea Brand, John Gardner et al, and boils down their wisdom into short, snappy articles. This is a great book to re...more
Nice!
Have A Mission Statement - for your piece and writing life.
Gold Coins - reward your reader along the way.
Build Work Around a key questions - what is the purpose, the why.
Save String - you can reuse or re-purpose previous writings, even if they weren't used.
Build A Ladder - move up and down from the concrete to the abstract.
Choose a number - one is truth, two is division, three is inclusion, more than thre...more
Please note that I put the original German text at the end of this review. Just if you might be interested.
Precise, compact and refined with an adequately equal chapter length, Clark delivers a well-filled tool case with tools for big and small projects. Whether for non-specialists, hobbyists or contemporaries who have turned their passion into a profession. Any likely target group can learn s...more
On my way back from a hockey game in Wilkes-Barre one night, I stopped for gas. On top of the gas pump I was using, sat this book. It was in rough shape - wet, discolored, etc. If it had been a book about anything else, I leave it right where it was. But since it was about writing, I took it home.
And I'm glad I did.
This book is on par with Strunk & White, 'On Writing', and 'Bird by Bird', as far as instructional wri...more
I felt like I became a better writer by the time I reached the 20th tool, which is a testament to how useful these strategies are. There were a few lessons I was able to apply right away, others that took some thought and gestation, and still others that were lost in the wealth of information. I'll be reading this one again, I'm sure.
So if you...more
1) Contains the wisdom of other books pared down to concise chapters.
2) Applies to all types & styles of writing (and has quotes from professionals in many fields)
3) Activities at the end of each chapter (with variable strengths & weaknesses, but a teacher could tweak some great activities from many of these s...more
Writing Tools is an excellent little handbook writers should keep with them throughout their career. Every time I'm 'stuck' on my writing, I'll try to flip open this book and, hopefully, receive enough power to pick up my pen again.
Maybe the last section is a little bit less interesting, and I admit that I skimmed through it, but the first two sections are gold.
Really good read. worth having it and going back to it from time to time.
p.14 – Workshop: Read through the New York Times or your local newspaper with a pencil in hand. Mark the locations of subjects and verbs. Do the same in your writing. The next time you struggle with a sentence, rewrite it by placing subject and verb at the beginning.
p.15 – Order words for emphasis. Place strong words at the beginning and at the end. Strunk and White’s The Elements o...more