Synopses & Reviews
Thou Shalt Honor Thy Reader, Thou Shalt Not Waste Words, Thou Shalt Not Kill Thy Sentencesthese are three of the “pen” commandments through which, with humor and an engaging sense of purpose, Steven Frank inspires his readers not just to write but to write well.
Thou Shalt Take Pleasure in Thy Pen: As Frank watches a group of students huddle around a boy who is gleefully explaining a mysterious scar, an infallible writing topic emergesdescribe the grossest thing thats ever happened to you. Thou Shalt Not Pick on the Puncts: Frank persuades a hyperkinetic teen to slow down long enough to let punctuation marks help the boys own natural storytelling ability come through. Thou Shalt Overcome Writers Block: With practical advice and compelling case studies, Frank unfreezes the pens of struggling writers all around him, from his mail carrier to a former student to his own mom.
Drawing on Franks considerable experience as an English teacher, his passion for writing, and his love of language, The Pen Commandments is a witty and accessible book that entertains as it instructs.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
Steven Frank has a new approach to writing: fun first, rules to follow, success for all. In
The Pen Commandments, his offbeat and entertaining guide, he's given us a book that all writers can turn to for help and a good laugh.
With outrageous anecdotes (how a kid's oral surgery led to the ultimate writing assignment) and irreverent advice (Thou Shalt Not Kill Thy Sentences), Frank shows how to conquer writer's block, make friends with punctuation, and live forever in words. If you want to inspire your kids of just want to brush up on your own skills, The Pen Commandments will change—and enliven—the way you write forever.
About the Author
Mr. Frank has been a high school English teacher for ten years. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
From the Hardcover edition.