"Science and Technical Writing" an Important Reference

This week a participant asked me about whether I know of the Philip Rubens book, Science and Technical Writing: A Manual of Style, Second Edition (http://www.amazon.com/Science-Technical-Writing-Manual-Routledge/dp/0415925517/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258839113&sr=1-1). Not only do I know of it, I have used it on many occasions, whenever I’ve wanted Rubens’s take on Global English, audience awareness, technical prose, and specialized terminology. This book is definitely worth a look.

Writing Fast Course Available for Your Staff

Since the publication of my third book on writing, How to Write Fast Under Pressure (http://www.amazon.com/How-Write-Fast-Under-Pressure/dp/0814414850), more of my clients have been inquiring about whether I offer a course on the topic. I do. The course, Writing in a Heartbeat, comes with the book and focuses on the following topics:

• Getting started quickly to reduce writer's block
• Revising and editing efficiently to save time
• Collaborating effectively with writing partners to maximize team assignments
• Cultivating a can-do attitude to finish assigned writing tasks

Interested? Write me at Phil@PhilVassallo.com or call me at 732-721-7577 to discuss how you can bring this program to your staff.

Great Causes Need Great Supporters

For the first time since I began this blog 58 months and 293 posts ago, I am straying from the topic of writing to make a special announcement about giving. The recession has forced everyone to cut back on spending, and this especially has hurt those organizations that serve the underprivileged individuals of our communities.

With this thought in mind, I introduce you to some of my clients who do extraordinary work on behalf of their constituents:

• Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (http://www.cshl.edu/), a pioneer researcher in cancer, neuroscience, genomics, and bioinformatics.
• Common Ground Community (http://www.commonground.org/), a national leader in solutions to homelessness.
• Independent Living Association (http://www.ilaonline.org/), an exceptional advocate for developmentally disabled individuals.
• National Urban League (http://www.nul.org/), a civil rights organization doing great things for underserved urban communities.
• New York Public Library (http://www.nypl.org/), the number one source for sourcing, which is a veritable guardian of knowledge.
• United Way of New York City (http://www.unitedwaynyc.org/), a great source for providing a general endowment if the more specific organizations do not match your philanthropic interests.

I hope the spirit moves you to give generously to one of these outstanding organizations.

Thanks, Kent School District, for the Writer’s Resources

Here’s a useful site for both student writers and their parents, courtesy of the Kent School District in Washington: http://www.kent.k12.wa.us/curriculum/writing/elem_writing/Bib/WritingProcess.htm. It lists numerous resources for elementary and high school writers on the writing process, essay structure, creativity, English as a second language, and grammar.

"On Writing Well" Still Matters

Thirty-three years and seven editions later, William Zinsser’s On Writing Well is as relevant as ever. Zinsser divided the book into four parts (Principles, Methods, Forms, and Attitudes), so it’s easy to get just the ideas you’re looking for. The opening and closing sections are most instructive for the developing nonfiction writer, and the Forms section is generous in examples of descriptive writing from authors like Woody Allen, Alfred Kazin, Maxine Hong Kingston, and Eudora Welty. Here’s the link:

www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Nonfiction/dp/0060891548/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258828250&sr=1-1