Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters
    Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters
    Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters
    Ebook134 pages1 hour

    Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

    By WILLIAM BERNHARDT

    5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Sizzling Style is what distinguishes a spellbinding book from an ordinary one. The writer who understands the fundamentals of fictional writing style knows how to capture readers and never let them go. Too often aspiring writers are frustrated by rejection, not realizing that the problem is not the story but the way they are telling it. In this book, bestselling author William Bernhardt brings his down-to-earth approach to the subject of style, revealing everything you need to know to write with the art and craft of a seasoned professional. Bernhardt goes beyond memorizing rules to a fresh approach, a philosophy of writing that will transform your work and take it to a higher level. Because as William Goldman famously said, “No one really knows what will be commercial, but everyone knows good writing from bad writing.” The book also includes exercises designed to help writers apply this approach to their own writing.

    William Bernhardt is the bestselling author of more than thirty books, including the blockbuster Ben Kincaid novels and Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness, currently in production as an NBC miniseries. Bernhardt is also one of the most sought-after writing instructors in the nation. He is the only person to have received the Southern Writers Gold Medal Award, the Royden B. Davis Distinguished Author Award (U Penn) and the H. Louise Cobb Distinguished Author Award (OSU), which is given "in recognition of an outstanding body of work that has profoundly influenced the way in which we understand ourselves and American society at large."

    The Red Sneaker Writing Center is dedicated to helping writers achieve their literary goals. What is a red sneaker writer? A committed writer seeking useful instruction and guidance rather than obfuscation and attitude. Red sneakers get the job done and so do red sneaker writers, by paying close attention to their art and craft, committing to hard work, and never quitting. Are you a red sneaker writer? If so, this book is for you.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBabylon Books
    Release dateAug 11, 2017
    ISBN9780692339374
    Author

    WILLIAM BERNHARDT

    William Bernhardt (b. 1960), a former attorney, is a bestselling thriller author. Born in Oklahoma, he began writing as a child, submitting a poem about the Oklahoma Land Run to Highlights—and receiving his first rejection letter—when he was eleven years old. Twenty years later, he had his first success, with the publication of Primary Justice (1991), the first novel in the long-running Ben Kincaid series. The success of Primary Justice marked Bernhardt as a promising young talent, and he followed the book with seventeen more mysteries starring the idealistic defense attorney, including Murder One (2001) and Hate Crime (2004). Bernhardt’s other novels include Double Jeopardy (1995) and The Midnight Before Christmas (1998), a holiday-themed thriller. In 1999, Bernhardt founded Bernhardt Books (formerly HAWK Publishing Group) as a way to help boost the careers of struggling young writers. In addition to writing and publishing, Bernhardt teaches writing workshops around the country. He currently lives with his family in Oklahoma. 

    Read more from William Bernhardt

    Related to Sizzling Style

    Related ebooks

    Language Arts & Discipline For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      A Practical Guide to Starting a Group of Your Own

      Feb 16, 2022

      I RECENTLY joined a no-reading writers group. We meet once a month to talk writing, publishing, editing, teaching, and any other topics that arise, from Scotland to pet rats. The only thing we don’t do is share our work and discuss it. This no-readin

      9 min read

    • Article

      Mastering Plot Twists

      Dec 12, 2022

      Mastering Plot Twists
      8 min read

    • Article

      Subplots Aren’t Secondary

      Jun 19, 2019

      Subplots Aren’t Secondary
      6 min read

    • Article

      Beat Sheet Or Cheat Sheet?

      May 5, 2022

      If you’ve not yet encountered the Save the Cat! books you will, because the original book Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need (2005) proved so successful it led to a franchise which now includes at least seven volumes, inclu

      8 min read

    • Article

      Set the Hook With Great Beginnings

      Oct 18, 2021

      As a novice fisher, I’ve only caught a few fish, but I’m already thinking about better ways to hook more. Likewise, as a writer, I think a lot about how to write beginnings that will hook readers. Just as fishing advice abounds, so too does writing a

      4 min read

    • Article

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word

      Oct 18, 2021

      Trope: My Favorite Dirty Word
      7 min read

    • Article

      Pantser Or Plotter?

      Jan 29, 2022

      When you write a story or a novel, you’re undoubtedly focused on turning out a good one. That’s the product. But what about the process? Are you a so-called plotter, one who creates summaries and outlines before clicking out your story or novel? Or a

      10 min read

    • Article

      What Physics Can Teach Us About Writing Fiction

      Mar 6, 2018

      Sometimes writing fiction feels to me like that oft-used image of a godlike creator: the man pulling the strings of the marionette, orchestrating each fine movement from above the stage. One string might be character, another plot, a third setting, a

      6 min read

    • Article

      A New Approach To Outlining

      Oct 29, 2022

      WHEN I WAS ABOUT 12, I PLAYED baseball in the street with a group of neighborhood kids. None of us knew how to play; the point was to have fun. One day while we were playing, a girl who lived in a big house on the corner – Jenny, I distinctly remembe

      5 min read

    • Article

      Getting Creative With Reality

      Oct 1, 2020

      What do H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, Notes on a Small Island by Bill Bryson and Tall Stories and Wee Tales by Billy Connolly have in common? They all belong to the increasingly popular genre of creative non-fiction writing. When creative non-fic

      6 min read

    • Article

      The Art Of PLOTTING

      Jul 9, 2022

      Writing a novel is a huge challenge. Not only must you create relatable, compelling characters who grab readers, but you also need to nail down a storyline that does the same thing. Readers want adept storytelling, with scenes that move, lives that c

      8 min read

    • Article

      How to Write a Dynamite Last Chapter

      Oct 10, 2022

      When I was a newer writer, I bought a drink for a famous old novelist at the hotel bar after a long conference day. When he’d consumed half of it, I asked him for advice on crafting good, satisfying final chapters. He snapped, “Your ending depends on

      9 min read

    • Article

      How Do I (Quickly) Write a Screenplay?

      Apr 12, 2021

      A majority of budding screenwriters toil away for years on a screenplay and wonder if there is an end in sight. They’re lost in plot and character and have written themselves into a corner. Their first 20 pages are a slog, the second act is vapid, an

      5 min read

    • Article

      The First Five Pages

      Jan 7, 2021

      The First Five Pages
      5 min read

    • Article

      Calls For Submissions

      Dec 18, 2021

      Screenplays, plays, novel excerpts, poems, and fiction and nonfiction stories are welcome for consideration in Volney Road Review’s issue 4.2. Submit by Feb. 1. volneyroadreview.com This literary journal seeks poems, essays, flash fiction, art, and h

      1 min read

    • Article

      Wrath Of The Gods

      Oct 18, 2021

      The Poppy War trilogy, Rebecca F. Kuang’s debut fantasy series, creates a new magic system with very old roots. the Chinese-American writer borrows Taoist and Chinese folk themes to build her own pantheon of gods, then draws on the ancient tradition

      6 min read

    • Article

      Opening ACTS

      Jul 9, 2022

      Opening ACTS
      10 min read

    • Article

      On The Edge Of Their Seats

      Apr 30, 2022

      On The Edge Of Their Seats
      7 min read

    • Article

      Royalties: The Long Tail

      Oct 18, 2021

      When I first signed with my agent, I joked that I wanted my advances to be paid in the form of solid gold toilets,1 and that’s been our code for good news ever since. When I get an email with the subject line “Gold Toilet Incoming,” I know we’ve sold

      4 min read

    • Article

      Behind The Scenes

      Oct 18, 2021

      Behind The Scenes
      8 min read

    • Article

      Resistance Training

      Apr 30, 2022

      Resistance Training
      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Sizzling Style

    5/5

    2 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Sizzling Style - WILLIAM BERNHARDT

      Sizzling Style

      Every Word Matters

      Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

      First Edition

      Copyright © 2014 William Bernhardt Writing Programs

      Published by Babylon Books

      ISBN: 978-0-692-33937-4

      All rights reserved

      No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without per-mission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

      Sizzling Style

      Every Word Matters

      William Bernhardt

      The Red Sneaker Writer Series

      Other Books by William Bernhardt

      The Red Sneaker Writer Series

      Story Structure: The Key to Successful Fiction

      Creating Character: Bringing Your Story to Life

      Perfect Plotting: Charting the Hero’s Journey

      Dynamic Dialogue: Letting Your Story Speak

      Powerful Premise: Writing the Irresistible

      Sizzling Style: Every Word Matters

      Excellent Editing: The Writing Process

      The Ben Kincaid Series

      Primary Justice

      Blind Justice

      Deadly Justice

      Perfect Justice

      Cruel Justice

      Naked Justice

      Extreme Justice

      Dark Justice

      Silent Justice

      Murder One

      Criminal Intent

      Hate Crime

      Death Row

      Capitol Murder

      Capitol Threat

      Capitol Conspiracy

      Capitol Offense

      Capitol Betrayal

      Justice Returns

      Other Novels

      The Code of Buddyhood

      Dark Eye

      The Midnight Before Christmas

      Final Round

      Double Jeopardy

      Strip Search

      Nemesis: The Final Case of Eliot Ness

      The Game Master

      Challengers of the Abyss

      Poetry

      The White Bird

      The Ocean’s Edge

      For Young Readers

      Equal Justice: The Courage of Ada Lois Sipuel (biography)

      Princess Alice and the Dreadful Dragon (illustrated by Kerry McGhee)

      The Black Sentry

      Shine

      Edited by William Bernhardt

      Legal Briefs

      Natural Suspect

      Dedicated to all the Red Sneaker Writers:

      You can’t fail unless you quit.

      The difference between the almost right word and the right word is the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.

      Mark Twain

      TABLE OF CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Chapter One: Defining Style

      Chapter Two: Grammar is Not Style

      Chapter Three: The Essence of Art

      Chapter Four: Clarity and Precision

      Chapter Five: Harnessing the Lightning

      Chapter Six: Spotlight on Verbs

      Chapter Seven: Other Style Issues

      Appendix A: Style Review

      Appendix B: Commonly Confused Words

      Appendix C: The Writer’s Reading List

      Note from the Author

      About the Author

      INTRODUCTION

      Welcome to the Red Sneaker Writers Book series. If you’ve read other Red Sneaker publications or attended Red Sneaker events, you can skip to Chapter One. If you’re new, let me take a moment to explain.

      I’ve been telling stories for many years, doing almost every kind of writing imaginable. I’ve been speaking at workshops and conferences almost as long. Every time I step behind the podium I see the same tableau staring back at me: long rows of talented people, most of whom have attended many of these events but are still frustrated by the fact that they haven’t sold any books. Yes, the market is tough and agents are hard to find and self-publishing can be frustrating. But when aspiring writers do the work, put it out there, but still don’t succeed…there’s usually a reason. Too often enormous potential is lost due to a lack of fundamental knowledge. Sometimes a little guidance is all that stands between an unknown writer and a satisfying writing career.

      The large auditorium/general information lecture is not terribly conducive to writing instruction. And sometimes the teaching I’ve heard offered is dubious at best. Too often speakers seem more interested in appearing literary than in providing useful information. Sometimes I feel presenters do more to obfuscate the subject than to explain it, that they want to make writing as mysterious and incomprehensible as possible, either because that makes them sound deeper or because they don’t understand the subject themselves. How is that going to help anyone?

      After giving this some thought, I formulated the Red Sneaker Writing Center. Why Red Sneakers? Because I love my red sneakers. They’re practical, flexible, sturdy—and bursting with style and flair. In other words, exactly what I think writing instruction should be. Practical, flexible, resilient, useful, but still designed to unleash the creative spirit, to give the imagination a platform for creating wondrous work.

      I held the first Red Sneaker Writers conference in 2005. I invited the best speakers I knew, not only people who had published many books but people who could teach. Then I launched my small-group seminars—five intensive days with a handful of aspiring writers. This gave me the opportunity to read, edit, and work one-on-one with people so I could target their needs and make sure they got what would help them most. This approach worked extremely well and I’m proud to say a substantial number of writers have graduated from my seminars and placed work with major publishers. But I realized not everyone could attend my seminars. How could I help those people?

      This book, and the other books in this series, are designed to provide assistance to writers regardless of their location. The books are short, inexpensive, and targeted to specific areas where a writer might want help.

      Let me see if I can anticipate your questions:

      Why are these books so short? Because I’ve expunged the unnecessary and the unhelpful. I’ve pared it down to the essential information, practical and useful ideas that can improve the quality of your writing. Too many instructional books are padded with excerpts and repetition to fill word counts required by book contracts. That’s not the Red Sneaker way.

      Why are you writing several different books instead of one big book? I encourage writers to commit to writing every day and to maintain a consistent writing schedule. You can read the Red Sneaker books without losing much writing time. In fact, each can be read in a single afternoon. Take one day off from your writing. Read and make notes in the margins. See if that doesn’t trigger ideas for improving your work.

      I bet it will. And the next day, you can get back to your work.

      You reference other books as examples, but you rarely quote excerpts from books (other than yours). Why?

      Two reasons. First, I’m trying to keep these books brief. I will cite a book as an example, and if you want to look up a particular passage, it’s easy enough to do. You don’t need me to cut and paste it for you. Second, if I quote from materials currently under copyright protection, I have to pay a fee, which means I’d need to raise the price of the books. I don’t want to do that. I think you can grasp my points without reading copyrighted excerpts. Too often, in my opinion, excessive excerpting in writing books is done to pad the page count.

      Why does each chapter end with exercises?

      The exercises are a completely integrated and essential part of this book, designed to simulate what happens in my small-group seminars. Samuel Johnson was correct when he wrote: Scribendo disces scribere. Meaning: You learn to write by writing. I can gab on and on, but these principles won’t be concretized in your brain until you put them into practice.

      So get the full benefit from this book. Take the time to complete the exercises. If you were in my seminar, this would be your homework. I won’t be hovering over your shoulder when you read this book—but you should do the exercises anyway.

      What else does the Red Sneaker Writers Center do?

      I send out a free e-newsletter filled with writing advice, market analysis, and other items of interest. If

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1