Provost - 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing (Updated)

Some of the material in this book appeared in different form in Writers Digest magazine. I want to thank Bill Brohaugh, Rose Adkins, and Tom Clark at Writers Digest for their work on the original articles.

And special thanks to Claudia Reilly, who edited the book at New American Library, and to Jon Matson.

Also I want to gratefully acknowledge permission to reprint the following material:

Excerpt from Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. Copyright 1975, Ray Bradbury. Reprinted with the permission of Doubleday and Co.

Excerpt from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Copyright 1926, Charles Scribners Sons; copyright renewed 1953, Frances Scott Fitzgerald Lanahan. Reprinted with the permission of Charles Scribners Sons.

Excerpt from The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Copyright 1926, Charles Scribners Sons; copyright renewed 1954, Ernest Hemingway. Reprinted with the permission of Charles Scribners Sons.

Excerpt from No Time for Sergeants by Mac Hyman. Copyright 1954, Mac Hyman. Reprinted with the permission of Penguin Random House LLC.

Excerpt from The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin. Copyright 2000, Ira Levin. Reprinted with the permission of Penguin Random House LLC.

Excerpt from The Last Good Kiss by James Crumley. Copyright 1978, James Crumley. Reprinted with the permission of Penguin Random House LLC.

Excerpt from Ping by Gail Levine-Freidus. Copyright 1983, Gail Levine-Freidus.

Excerpt from Popcorn (Bradbury Press) by Gary Provost and Gail Provost. Copyright 1985, Gary Provost and Gail Provost.

Excerpt from On Becoming a Novelist by John Gardner. Copyright 1983, the Estate of John Gardner. Reprinted with the permission of Harper & Row.

I know Gary would want to thank his many fans for encouraging an update for this little gem. Among those he never met: Antonio Gidi, coauthor/editor of the recently updated legacy edition for Legal Writing Style, and Jason Sitzes, editor/story coach and former director of WRW. Gary would be especially grateful to editor Carol Doc Dougherty, his WRW student who quickly became a good friend, currently serves as WRWs director, and helped to make the dream for this edition a reality. And, for her guidance and enthusiasm, we all thank Tracy Bernstein, executive editor at Berkley.

Gail Provost Stockwell

Gary Provosts easy-to-use handbook of proven professional techniques, originally published in 1985, has remained in print all this time. That fact is a testament to the authors popularity, expertise, and ability to make learning fun.

With this updated edition, we have incorporated changesmostly technicalthat have occurred during the thirty-plus years since Gary wrote the book on his Smith Corona electronic typewriter. A Brother word processor made it to his desk next. Then a big, clunky computer. But he missed out on the laptops, tablets, and smartphones that were to follow, as well as the Internets invaluable online research tools that we all take for granted today.

So although the technology has been updated, we assure you that Garys generous advice, humor, and voice have been left intact.

Carol Dougherty,

Writers Retreat Workshop student, teacher, current director

Gail Provost Stockwell, cofounder (with Gary) of WRW