writing style – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

They Say, I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing

By Scott J. Pearson | August 5, 2026August 5, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Academic writing can be confusing to outsiders and newcomers. Often filled with abstractions, this style of writing can lose readers with all the pretense. Yet to succeed in college – and in many careers – people need to learn to express themselves effectively. The authors seek to demystify this task by showing readers how they can think about the forms of academic writing. Primarily, the authors show readers how to integrate their perspective into a…

Writing-Communication

The Emotional Craft of Fiction: How to Write the Story Beneath the Surface

By Scott J. Pearson | July 25, 2025July 25, 2025 by Scott J. Pearson

Writing fiction is a difficult art. Writing fiction that sells and impacts is even more difficult. Literary agent Donald Maass seeks to educate writers how to write meaningful fiction with meaningful characters. The key, he says, is to develop characters’ emotional layer so that they become more dynamic. Thus, readers identify with characters and want to spend time in your book. The key to developing characters is, as an author, to develop one’s own emotional…

Writing-Communication

The Sound on the Page: Great Writers Talk about Style & Voice in Writing

By Scott J. Pearson | May 26, 2024May 26, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Books about writing offer varied advice and often contradict themselves. Should everyone write like Hemingway? Is it ok to diverge from Strunk and White’s style? How can I inject personality into writing without putting off my audience (or my editor)? These are common issues for writers, especially new or aspiring ones, and Ben Yagoda has decided to address them. He has interviewed and compiled results on acclaimed writers from many fields, genres, and styles. He…

Research-Education Writing-Communication

Stylish Academic Writing

By Scott J. Pearson | January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 by Scott J. Pearson

Academic writing has a reputation for being a bit dry and only interested in the dissemination of abstract information. Concreteness, style, and vivacity often fall to the wayside. As Sword points out, much of this dryness is due to social structures, not deliberate mastery of the craft. This book teaches how to bring a sense of style to academic writing without compromising its informational purposes. By examining 1,000 academic papers in ten different fields, Sword…