Product Description

You've got a voice the world wants to hear-ideas that deserve to be written down and shared with others. Here's the book that shows you how. Packed with practical tips and techniques to help young writers build a solid foundation, this fun, easy-to-use guide is a comprehensive introduction to the world of the written word. You'll master essential techniques like how to generate interesting ideas, how to add descriptive detail and how to beat writer's block. Plus, learn how to perform the five most important revisions, and develop other key skills you need to be a successful writer for fun, for school, for college, and for life. You'll also be introduced to different types of writing as you learn how to craft memoirs, essays, fiction, book reviews, and more. Includes dozens of exercises and examples to get you going!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1797481 in Books
• Published on: 2006-06-21
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 314 pages

About the Author
Steve Peha is a professional writer and writing teacher. For over ten years, as President of Teaching That Makes Sense, he has traveled the country helping schools get better results through the use of research-proven writing strategies and other best practice techniques that make teaching easier for teachers and learning more fun for kids. Margot Carmichael Lester is a professional writer whose work appears regularly in magazines and newspapers like Money magazine and The Los Angeles Business Journal, and on websites like Monster.com, MSN.com, and Match.com. She is also the author of Real Life Guide to Life After College and Real Life Guide to Starting Your Career.

Customer Reviews

Be a Writer Your Guide to the Writing Life
Looking for a jumpstart in your writing career, young writers? This simply written, clearly organized guide gives practical strategies to remove writers' block and focus your writing endeavors. Whether you are writing your first great novel, a memoir, an essay or a book review, the helpful tips and tricks presented here will take the anxiety out of getting started.
Particularly useful are the sections at the beginning of each Chapter entitled 10 Things You Need to Know Even if You Don't Read This Chapter. The young writers in our house have devoured this guide and received valuable inspiration and coaching.

Solid writing resource.
This is the first book from Leverage Factory, a small publishing company in Bend, OR. The book was written by Steve Peha a professional writer and writing teacher. For over 10 years Steve has been helping schools get better results through research-proven writing strategies. This book lays out those strategies in a clear, casual and engaging way - perfect for young adults interested in improving their writing skills.

Bridge the Gap...
TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW EVEN IF YOU DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER - This is how each of the eleven chapters of "Be a Writer" begins. This valuable book will help bridge the gap between wanting to be a writer and actually Being a Writer. And I doubt that it will stop there, as you'll find this a handy reference guide that you can return to time and time again.

"Be a Writer" just about covers it all, from writing an essay - drafting, revising, editing - all the way through to tackling the task of writing your first novel. I found the second part of chapter 2: "Pre-Writing to be Writing" a very sound way for anyone to tap into their creative reserves. This is a practice that I've been faithful to since the beginning of my writing career, and it has yet to fail me. Better yet, Pre-Writing has been the precursor to each of my eight novels. - Mel Mathews - Author of LeRoi, Menopause Man, SamSara...