Spellbinding sentences: a writer's guide to achieving excellence & captivating readers

Welcome

Section 1: The mastery path: 1: Mastering the craft

Mastering a writer's skills

What you need to master sentence craft

2: Claiming your power: Learning through practice

What Is practice?

3: The basic sentence craft practices

Basic practice #1: Waking up the word mind

Basic practice #2: Keeping a notebook

Basic practice #3: Reading as a writer

Basic practice #4: Reflecting on your practice

Make practice part of your life.

Section 2: The power of diction: Choosing words

4: The word hoard

The benefits of unpacking your word hoard

Build your word hoard

Training your word mind

5: Making meaning

What do we mean by "meaning"?

6: The qualities of words

The qualities of words 1: Formal/Informal

The qualities of words 2: General/specific

The qualities of words 3: Abstract/concrete

7: The language of the Imagination

Images: The language of the Imagination

The vocabulary of the senses

Balancing showing and telling

Looking ahead.

Section 3: The power of function: What words do: 8: Parts of speech

Parts of speech 1: Content parts of speech

Parts of speech 2: Structural words: 9: Making phrases

What Is a phrase?

Composing with phrases

The power of phrases.

Section 4: The power of syntax: Ordering words

10: Making spells: The magic of sentences

Kinds of sentences

Sentence kernels

Syntactic slots

11: Elaborating the basic sentence

Elaborating the basic sentence patterns

12: Extending the basic sentence

Extending the basic sentence 1: Adding together Independent clauses

Extending the basic sentence 2: Adding dependent clauses

New sentence structures.

Section 5: The power of composition: Putting it all together

13: Making sentences move

A command of syntactic structures

Options for composition

14: Writing in rhythm

The music of language.

Section 6: Using your power

15: Power and responsibility

The dance of writing

The journey towards mastery. Practicing in the work

The benefits of the mastery path

From play to deliberate practice

moving On.

Welcome; Section 1: The Mastery Path; Chapter 1: Mastering the Craft; Mastering a Writer's Skills; What You Need to Master Sentence Craft; Chapter 2: Claiming Your Power: Learning Through Practice; What Is Practice?; Chapter 3: The Basic Sentence Craft Practices; Basic Practice #1: Waking Up the Word Mind; Basic Practice #2: Keeping a Notebook; Basic Practice #3: Reading as a Writer; Basic Practice #4: Reflecting on Your Practice; Make Practice Part of Your Life.

Section 2: The Power of Diction: Choosing Words; Chapter 4: The Word Hoard;The Benefits of Unpacking Your Word Hoard; Build Your Word Hoard; Training Your Word Mind; Chapter 5: Making Meaning; What Do We Mean by "Meaning"?; Chapter 6: The Qualities of Words; The Qualities of Words 1: Formal/Informal; The Qualities of Words 2: General/Specific; The Qualities of Words 3: Abstract/Concrete; Chapter 7: The Language of the Imagination; Images: The Language of the Imagination; The Vocabulary of the Senses; Balancing Showing and Telling; Looking Ahead.

Section 3: The Power of Function: What Words Do; Chapter 8: Parts of Speech; Parts of Speech 1: Content Parts of Speech; Parts of Speech 2: Structural Words; Chapter 9: Making Phrases; What Is a Phrase?; Composing with Phrases; The Power of Phrases.

Section 4: The Power of Syntax: Ordering Words; Chapter 10: Making Spells: The Magic of Sentences; Kinds of Sentences; Sentence Kernels; Syntactic Slots; Chapter 11: Elaborating the Basic Sentence; Elaborating the Basic Sentence Patterns; Chapter 12: Extending the Basic Sentence; Extending the Basic Sentence 1: Adding Together Independent Clauses; Extending the Basic Sentence 2: Adding Dependent Clauses; New Sentence Structures.

Section 5: The Power of Composition: Putting it All Together; Chapter 13: Making Sentences Move; A Command of Syntactic Structures; Options for Composition; Chapter 14: Writing in Rhythm; The Music of Language.

Section 6: Using Your Power; Chapter 15: Power and Responsibility; The Dance of Writing; The Journey Towards Mastery. Practicing in the Work; The Benefits of The Mastery Path; From Play to Deliberate Practice; Moving On.