What Makes Short Writing Worth Reading?

Readers, you're smart people. I would love your thoughts on what makes good copywriting, or - since
"content" is the term du jour, what makes for good content. And I'm talking about really good content. I'm talking about content that makes you want to read it, read it again, and maybe even share it.

I know readers are guilty of reading all sorts of things. I know, for example, you'll read advertisements and corporate blogs about products and services you're not at all interested in, just because the writing is good.

And I know it has to be really, really good to hook you and steal time away from reading something else - but I know you do it.

Earlier this year, I enjoyed a book about writing good, short copy. Now, I'd love to hear from you.

What short, sweet, or pithy pieces have hooked you lately?

Don't You Know There's A War On? By Avi

A 10-year-old boy trying to understand today's worldwide conflicts might find Avi's tale of the WW2 US homefront quaint. Or not. Here, a book report I dug out of one of my favorite fourth-grader's folders.
~ ~ ~ ~

I read Don’t You Know There’s a War On? by Avi.

It’s about a boy who is in 5^th grade in Brooklyn New York. World War II is going on.

Howie Krispers is the main character. He went to PS 8. (PS means Public School.) Howie’s best friend is Denny.  

Denny and Howie’s teacher, Miss Gossim is going to be fired because she is expecting a baby. They really like Miss Gossim, and they give a petition to the principal that says Miss Gossim should not be fired because she is expecting.

Miss Gossim gets to stay until the end of the school year.

Denny and Howie’s fathers are both fighting in the war. Both boys miss their dads. When Denny and Howie go to the movies at Victory Theater on Saturdays, they saw news about the war and everybody cheered when they saw Germans and Japanese soldiers surrendering.

Howie’s father came home, but the same day Denny got a notice that his dad was MIA, Missing in Action.

After the war was over, Howie moved to Long Island and he never saw Denny again. Miss Gossim was always his favorite teacher.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I argued that the part about the principal may or may not be a spy was important, but said 10-yo didn't think so it was such a big deal. Which, frankly, bummed me out, since I've written a book about spies in the US during WW2. Oh well. Guess it's about time to hit that summer reading list...

Express Yourself Much? Books About Things We Say

As a reader, writer, and listener, I'm fascinated by words. (File under "no duh.")

It occurs to me that not only did I write a book about some of the dumb things we say, I've also read a quite a few books about the things we say (dumb or not).


I've really enjoyed Why Do We Say It? about expressions, colloquial and otherwise. I have to admit, though, I didn't gain much from reading Le Mot Juste.

It's a particular failing of mine; I just don't do French. #lesigh  

If you just can't get enough of the stories behind the words, I bet you'll like the Fun with Words site. It's not much in the way of eye candy, but if you're that into words, you probably don't care. 

Proof HuffPo isn't a Scientific Journal

Bananas are good.

PEOPLE, THINK. A study of 16 mice can only conclude one thing: "more study is needed." And hello, Journalism 101 - I think we can do better than regurgitate something a "sleep expert" uttered on the Today Show. Especially since that gem was something your average 10 yo knows:  “I think there is definitely a relationship… food regulates sleep.” SMH. This is why I kick myself whenever I read HuffPo. 

What are you reading? 

Parents Guide to Minecraft Reviewed by Admitted Non-Gamer

Think you need a PhD to figure out what Minecraft is all about? Well, maybe you do, maybe you don't. Dr. Lisa Regula read The Minecraft Guide For Parents by Cori Dusman, and now she's well on her way to understanding not only the game, but also the people who play. 
~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I have to start out by admitting my own bias, as a sort of disclosure - I’m not a gamer.  I’ve only started getting into board games even the slightest, and I’m still staunchly not a fan of video games; some have accused me of not knowing how to relax and have fun.  At the opposite end of spectrum is my husband, who was a serious video gamer up until we came to this town for grad school.  He made a reasonable recovery while he was in grad school, but has since been slipping into gaming habits, but with board games this time.  Thus it was no surprise when games for our (then seven year old) son became a fairly big point of contention in the house.  I wanted to wait until he was developmentally ready for video games; my significant other wanted to just let him have at it. 

Sig-o won; I came home one day last summer to find them playing LEGO Star Wars on the PS3. 

Now that Pandora’s Box was opened, we began the refining process of what games to allow, under what rules, for how long, etc.  Every parent out there knows the drill, I’m sure.  Eventually, child’s preferences also became clear, and Minecraft has been a staple ever since.  We have the pocket edition for iPad and for Android, but have been struggling with limits and, frankly, our child’s obsession with the game.  It’s not just playing the game at this point, but talking constantly about the game, drawing and planning for the game, trying to convince us to give him more time for the game.  I was hoping that this book would have a little bit of advice on how to handle all this (and maybe some hints to help him do the tougher stuff he wanted to do).

Whew.  And here you thought you were reading a book review, not a confessional, huh? 

The book itself is pretty comprehensive.  It covers building advice for parents, really basic details on Minecraft for those of us who are only being pulled kicking and screaming into the Minecraft world, technical details of purchasing and installing Minecraft, information on online communities, and- most importantly from my perspective- suggestions for improving game behavior, limiting obsession, online safety, conflicts around the game, and even addiction (no, we don’t think it’s necessary to put our son in a 12-step program yet, but the summer’s only half done).

The topics are addressed thoroughly, but not extensively, so your questions are answered (or you have tools to answer those questions) without feeling drowned in details.  The glossary is helpful in letting parents and kids speak the same language and better communicate with each other and other gamers.  The parent-child computer contract is something that sig-o and I are looking forward to trying with our child, but it’s still a work in progress.  My biggest critique is that, like most other Minecraft books I’ve found, this is written very much for the computer-based game, so not everything is applicable to our editions.  From a marketing perspective, this is part of the brilliance of Minecraft, having stripped down but free or cheap options seems to open up the game to a more diverse gamer group.  In reality, it serves as a dealer’s first, cheap sale to get you hooked on the item.  And believe me, most of the kids I know with the cheap versions end up spending a significant amount of time whining that they want to be able to do what all their friends can do on the computer version, which is very not-free/cheap.  Dusman’s son was 11 when he found Minecraft, and I have no doubt that that is a far more appropriate age to begin gaming- and her discussion of the game is from that older child perspective- but the issues that Dusman brings up and gives suggestions for can be applied with or without modification to a wide range of ages.

As games go, Minecraft is a better option than most of what else is out there, and this book is a great introduction for parents to the world of Minecraft, no matter what level their kids are at.  I’m still not sold on video games as wonderful, amazing things that every child has a right to play, but this is definitely a “know your child” area; my child is prone to obsession and fixation, and gets emotionally ramped up easily (as do I).  For more laid back kids and parents, this might be less a problem.  Either way, The Minecraft Guide for Parents is a solid tool with well-researched advice that has real potential to help families cross the turbulent water of computer game negotiations. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
If I could play video games, I'd create a world called Thanks and send Dr. Lisa Regula an invitation to join - as a trusted player, course, and I would certainly not rig it with dynamite. ;) Seriously, I'm no gamer and yet I'm raising one, so my gratitude runs deep for this, Dr. Regula's second guest review on this. The first explored another world I've yet to enter, where I suspect my son will venture, too. 


## Follow my reading adventures on Facebook, Tweet along, or tell me you want your review here - guest reviewers are always welcome in my world! No dynamite, I promise. 

Toltec Wisdom in The Four Agreements

Oh, the wisdom we've lost over the ages. Don Miguel Ruiz aimed to recapture some of the intrinsic knowledge he was exposed to, but perhaps didn't fully absorb, growing up in rural Mexico.

More about the Toltec civilization can be found in the Ancient History Encyclopedia. 

Ruiz's short book, The Four Agreements, spent several years on the NYT best sellers list. Apparently, a lot of us are searching for simple truths and a little more agreement in our lives.

Instead of following his family's Toltec healing tradition, Ruiz went to medical school and became a surgeon, like several other authors* I enjoy. Coincidence? OK. Or maybe I have a thing for writers influenced by their near-death experiences. Hm.

Is this self-help book worth a read? Well, if you're looking for a headache cure and suspect the answer might lie within your own head, yep. Definitely worth reading.

The Four Agreements are: 

1. Be Impeccable with your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally (Less Spock-like than it sounds)
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
4. Always Do Your Best (Don't worry, no Tiger-mom stuff here. Think Stuart Smalley instead. Your best will vary with your health, mood, energy level - and that's OK.)

My thoughts? If you're looking for answers - or just about anything - you can find it in a book :D

~Diane Stresing

*Michael Creighton, Atul Gawande, Abraham Verghese.

Your Recommendations Should Be Here

This is a shameless plea for guest posts.

I started this blog so long ago I can't remember exactly when, but I remember exactly why: Because there are too many books and too little time, to read books that aren't good for you - whatever that means.


OK, there was another reason, and that was just to keep track of what I read. My memory ain't what it used to be, you know.

Anyway, thanks to a few new developments in this particular chapter of my life, managing my blogs has fallen way, way, way down on my list of priorities. In other words: HELP!

If you've ever wanted to post a book review at a piddly little blog with a great big goal of helping readers find books that they'll enjoy, learn from, and later enthusiastically recommend to others, this is your chance!

Wanna write a guest post/commentary/book review? Contact me in comments here, on the Facebook page devoted to this blog, or on Twitter. Thanks!

~Diane Stresing