Suddenly everyone’s a comedian. And audiences are in love with the comedic trope (figure of speech), especially the stand-up style inspired by film and television entertainment. In writing, efforts range from high wit (truth via wit) to what Dorothy Parker called "calisthenics with words"—the hard-working wisecrack. The genre dubbed "chick lit" abounds with such calisthenics, to the delectation of its readers:

If attention is what you want, such outrageous tropes are a way to get it. And few writers can resist all the nutsy, trope-ready phenomena out there: the latest cosmetic torture, misbehaving celebrity, or failed enterprise. Troping fresh topics to the edgy boundaries is one way to avoid clichés; the trick is to not alienate your audience. Admirers of gentlemanly British tennis player Tim Henman, for example, must have been put off when the London Daily Express said he was "as likely to win Wimbleton as Osama bin Laden," even if the rest of the tabloid’s readers guffawed.

Some critics like to disparage comedic tropes as "jokey," even as they borrow several of such jokes to juice up their reviews. Jokes may no longer be funny at airports, but the last I heard they still play to the general reader. Just ask Dave Barry, whose jokey hyperboles have come by the planeload:

When not quoting comedic tropes, critics are often showcasing their own. They are writers, after all. Of an actress playing warrior Guinevere in the film King Arthur, for example, critic Josh Tyangiel of Time cracks,"[Keira Knightley] wears so much blue war paint that she looks like the world’s most ferocious Smurf."

Can jokey be literary as well? Well, here’s just one trope from Raymond Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, part of the Library of America’s collection of Literary Classics. If they say it's literary, it's literary:

"He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food."

This hyperbolic simile, one of many from the master, dates from the 1930s. Jokey, you see, wasn’t always a liability. After all, the jokey trope was validated in the third century by Cassius Longinus, Greek rhetorician and presumed author of On Great Writing, a classic of criticism. Defending hyperbole, Longinus said that "[a work’s] actions and passions that bring one close to distraction compensate for and justify every boldness of expression."

Noting that "laughter, too, is a passion which has its roots in pleasure," Longinus cited this one-liner: "His field was shorter than a Spartan’s letter." (Bada-boom!) Longinus did warn, however, that "the use of tropes, like all beauties of language, always tends to excess," as if the writer were drunk.

 

(Copyright Arthur Plotnik)

Yahoo’s word-a-day

Links to about a dozen word-a-day sites

The Writer magazine

Articles, markets, resources, forums–the works from the venerable but hip writer’s monthly.

The Internalational [sic] Dictionary of Neologisms

Some 2300 coinages defined

unwords.com

Thousands of clever coinages

Sniglet sampling

A sampling of Richard Hall’s funny coinages on the British Council’s Learn-English site

SlangSite.com

Mixed bag of slang, neologisms; many good ones

The Online Slang Dictionary

Collaborative collection. Includes lotsa hip-hop.

Cliché Finder

Enter a word, find the cliché.

One Look Dictionary Search

Enter a term, get links to it in many dictionaries

Language Log

Thoughtful exchange on language

*   *   *

Chip Scanlan, head of writing programs at the prestigious Poynter Institute, is an accomplished journalist whose practical but soulful column and blog are musts for thousands of readers. The links:  

Chip on Your Shoulder (column)

The Mechanic and the Muse (blog)

*   *   *

The amazing Vikk Simmons brings the perspectives of published author, striving writer, bookstore staffer, and impassioned blogger to her main writing Web site, "Down the Writer's Path." One can't imagine anything worth seeing on a writing-advice and discussion site that isn't here, handsomely presented and with useful links up the wazoo.  

Down the Writer's Path

Three of Vikk's starred books

Exploring Texas History (a cool travel book)

Divided Loyalties (teen novel)

Video Magic (teen novel)

*   *   *

Few radio interviewers encourage writers to air it out like Donna Seaman, acclaimed book critic and upbeat host of Open Books, her biweekly show on WBEZ out of Chicago. You can play or download these interviews (including with Art Plotnik) from 

openbooksradio.com 

*    *     *    

Here's an exemplary author site whose subject happens to be the author of delightfully spunky and engaging novels.

Leslie Stella, Author of ....

An intrepid author shares choice writing information as he comes across it on this ambitious and handsomely presented site:

http://www.writesville.com/writesville/writing_resources/index.html

New York University writing teacher and prolific author Meredith Sue Willis offers a treasury of select writing information and resources on her Web site:

http://www.meredithsuewillis.com/resources.html

Sarah Miller is not only an award-winning young author (Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller), but the kind of reader and blogger that authors dream of. She reads prodigiously and comments brightly and passionately on works that move her. Her blog describes the path that brought her from childhood to authorhood.

Sarah Miller: Reading, Writing, Musing

The following is the proposal for what became Spunk & Bite: A Writer’s Guide to Punchier, More Engaging Language & Style. It was prepared by the author and "shopped" by his agent, Ed Knappman. Among publishers offering a contract was Random House, which published the book in November 2005.

Note the various elements that constitute a full nonfiction proposal. The more a project seems thought out, explored, and compared to similar projects, the better. Yes, it helps for the author to have a "platform," meaning a following from previous books or other activities; but other factors, such as authority, timeliness, and potential market can weigh in as heavily.

The proposal, as presented here, is copyrighted and may not be published or distributed (beyond fair use) without the author’s permission. 

Edward W. Knappman

New England Publishing Associates

Post Office Box 5, Chester, CT 06412

Phone (860) 345-7323 · Fax (860) 345-3660 · E-mail nepa@nepa.com

Masterly, distinctive use of language lifts an editor’s heart. It can edge manuscripts out of the slush heaps and into that gated community known as "serious consideration." And when serious contenders vie for publication, three things – locution, locution, locution – "pierce the empyrean and make the welkin ring" (as one locutionist said in 1913 of a skyscraper).

RISING TO THE LOCUTION shows how that resounding level of expression can be achieved.

In some three dozen brief chapters, this amiable guide steers writers into language that beats the competition and beats a path out of Slushville. Loaded with stimulating locutions from both elegant and adventurous sources, it invigorates all types of writing.

Here are style pointers that go beyond Strunk and White’s often-inhibiting rules. Here readers will find friendly, up-do-date advice in such areas as force, clarity, texture, surprise, and contemporaneity – advice sparkling with fresh, concise examples from our brightest authors.

Showing the way is Arthur Plotnik, distinguished author, editor, and former publishing executive whose Elements of Editing has sold a quarter-million copies in some twenty printings. Plotnik’s hundreds of articles and six books (including two Book-of-the-Month Club selections) have piled up honors and praise, much of it for his engaging wit and style. As contributing editor of the venerable magazine The Writer, he regularly advises tens of thousands of aspiring authors.

RISING TO THE LOCUTION addresses those who, having slogged though the elements of composition, now itch for creative ideas, smart locutions, and realistic takes on language for today’s markets. An antidote to the rasp of language scolds, it eases readers toward style and technique equal to the competition.

In approximately 36 concise chapters (some growing out of Plotnik’s work as contributing editor to The Writer and Editorial Eye), RISING

TO THE LOCUTION covers a wealth of topics not found in any other writer’s guide. Only here will buyers find all these chapter-length features and more:

K undoing an "E.B. Whitewash"

K elements of surprise

K describing the extraordinary

K writing for Generations X, Y and beyond

K stellar leads, stunning endings

K choosing narrative tense

K diction: be the word

K freshening the vocabulary

K words with beautiful music

K coining great locutions

K hot nouns from verbs

K world-class words from abroad

K mouthwatering verbs

K better color for your colors

K finding the names of things

K intensifiers for feeble locutions

K semicolons with confidence

K niceties worth preserving

K the feng shui of writing

K "disinfecting" your prose

K hunting down danglers

K modifiers with minus effects

K using ephemeral imagery

K achieving "edge"

K language and terrorism

K whom we write for

RISING TO THE LOCUTION’s word count (45,000) and intimate style suggest a cozy 5" x 7" format running to some 150+ pages with generous margins and space around the many sidebars and chapter breaks. Chapters run 900 - 2000 words, averaging about 1,200. Author will provide index and (if needed for length) useful appendices.

Buyers of the book would include:

– Writers and would-be writers who buy such genial guides as The Elements of Style (Strunk and White); On Writing Well (William Zinsser), and Woe Is I (Patricia O’Conner). Rising to the Locution complements these bestsellers while promising a similar, pleasurable experience.

– Language enthusiasts. Often we forget the size of this consumer group. Lynne Truss’s 2003 punctuation guide Eats, Shoots & Leaves has 600,000++ copies in print. Rising to the Locution delivers, among other benefits, a cheerful look at language usage, including punctuation trends.

– Libraries. Plotnik (who maintains his long-held associations with librarians and with editors of Booklist, Library Journal, etc.) gets reviewed in the library press, and libraries buy his books. As of 2004, some 5,000 libraries report holdings of his works (per OCLC’s World Catalog) – which translates to at least 25,000 shelf copies, according to an ALA sales-based formula.

– Editors who enjoyed his earlier books and his regular pieces in Editorial Eye, the premier monthly for working editors (readership, approx. 18,000).

– Other fans of Plotnik’s writing. A recent work of his, now in its second printing, has extended that fan base. (The Urban Tree Book, Crown, 2000. See reader raves on Amazon.com.)

– Schools. Solidly established in writing/journalism programs, The Elements of Editing paves the way for other Plotnik writing guides, as it did for The Elements of Expression.

PLATFORM/PUBLICITY:

In addition to the buyers and readers mentioned above, audiences have been exposed to Plotnik’s work through publicity appearances, radio interviews, and press coverage. He is a polished, witty speaker, experienced print publicist, and an energetic user of the Internet as a promotional tool. His self-created website for his latest book has drawn over 2,500 hits. With his professional research skills, contacts, and knowledge of the writers’ marketplace, he can provide superior publicity/review lists and aggressive marketing activity.

POSITIONING, SIMILAR TITLES:

RISING TO THE LOCUTION is a prompt book for ambitious language users. It is about the words, locutions, and approaches that enable a contemporary writer to rise above the crowd, to be up-and-coming. It is not a grammar review such as Woe Is I, a set of composition rules like The Elements of Style, or a teaching text like On Writing Well, though it shares the spirited style of these bestsellers.

Without flouting conventional wisdoms, the book shows how rule-breaking can often yield dazzling results. In this sense it calls to mind Sin and Syntax: How to Craft Wickedly Effective Prose (Broadway Books), Constance Hale’s enduringly "hip guide to modern language and writing." But there is no forced attempt at hipness here, nothing that runs amok of what editors currently consider publishable.

RISING TO THE LOCUTION will take its place on language-reference shelves, mainly in the writing/publishing sections. There it will distinguish itself by its compact format (and comparatively good price), author credentials, fresh and entertaining topics, and such promised benefits to writers as:

A boost toward getting published

A purging of fatal flaws and D.O.A. writing

More forceful openings, endings, narration, and description

Greater clarity, harmony, and specificity

Richer texture based on tense, sound, and word choice Ideas and resources for fresh locutions

Confidence to write for new generations of readers

A modern perspective on "right" and "wrong" language

Measures of purpose and performance

DELIVERY:Twelve months from execution of contract. (Possibly a month or two fewer if necessary.) Hard copy, plus digital copy in Word Perfect 10, Word, or other format convertible on Windows XP.

OTHER FEATURES:

The writing examples are special in themselves, painstakingly selected to illuminate points in just a few lines. Prose examples are well within fair-use boundaries. For the rare few lines of copyrighted poetry, author will obtain necessary permissions. Examples represent a diversity of writers – women, men, blacks, Latinos, Asians, etc. While aimed essentially at prose writers, most chapters will benefit aspiring poets as well. Nothing limits the book to American audiences. Many examples are from contemporary British writers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

As a Web search will indicate, Arthur Plotnik is something of a brand name among writers and editors, respected and often quoted as a "noted authority." His Elements of Editing sits on shelves everywhere with Strunk & White – ever since the Book of the Month Club paired the two works. In addition to the 250,000 sales of Elements of Editing, a total of 29,000 copies have been sold of his The Elements of Expression (also a BOMC selection) and The Elements of Authorship, first published (respectively) by Henry Holt and Simon & Schuster and both still selling.

In addition, Plotnik has been a leading presence in the library profession as editor of American Libraries magazine of the American Library Association (1975-1989), editorial director of ALA’s book imprint (1989-1997), and a continuing name in the field (runner-up, 2004 Haycock Award for Promoting the Profession).

The Urban Tree Book: An Uncommon Field Guide for City and Town. 2000, Three Rivers (Crown/Random House). 7,000 units to date.

The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts Into Words. 1997, Henry Holt. Reissue edition, toExcel. Total 20,200 units to date.

Honk If You're a Writer: Unabashed Advice ... for Writers and Writers-to-Be. 1992, Simon & Schuster/Fireside. Reissue edition, The Elements of Authorship, toExcel. Total 9,400 units to date.

The Man Behind the Quill: Jacob Shallus, Calligrapher of the United States Constitution. July 4, 1987, National Archives. Printing sold out.

The Elements of Editing: A Modern Guide for Editors and Journalists. 1982, Macmillan. 250,000 units with BOMC sales.

Library Life American Style. 1975, Scarecrow Press. (Professional book; printing sold out.)

Fiction: 22 pseudonymous "potboilers," via Scott Meredith Agency, 1962-65

Publishers Weekly: "Succinct, realistic, intensely practical, lively in style and fun to read ... a fitting companion to The Elements of Style."

Communicator's Journal: "The Elements of Editing is to editors what The Elements of Style is to writers.

Citizen-Times, Asheville, NC: "... billed as a companion to Strunk & White. That's fast company. But Plotnik can make the pace."

Columbia Magazine: "...is to editors what The Elements of Style" was and is to writers. ...Every word in this book is true--or I'll eat my blue pencil."

Editorial Eye: " ... Strunk & White's classic belongs on every editor's bookshelf, but it is neither so thorough nor so easily assimilated as Plotnik's book."

Christian Science Monitor: "...strikes home."

Choice: "Splendid overview...delights as well as illuminates."

Booklist: "... witty, yet absolutely incisive. ..

The Philadelphia Inquirer: "[Plotnik’s] wide-ranging thoughts on English expression make solid sense, and his writing is so engaging that this guidebook is more like a fluid, enjoyable monologue from a man who literally talks the talk."

Library Journal: "As a book on language should be, it is well-written, but it is also humorous, thought-provoking, and right on the mark. Highly recommended for all libraries."

San Antonio Express News: " …an informal conversation on…vibrant language…. Plotnik’s lively book tells us how to come up with it."

New City (Chicago): "…plumbs all manner of communication—including street talk, cyberspeak, and the gastronome’s verbal cupboard—in search of forceful phraseology."

Booklist "Adult Books for Young Adults: "Teens interested in strengthening their oral or written communication skills will find Plotnik’s concise, irreverent, highly informative guide filled with clear examples and punchy analysis."

Choice: "…sound advice for broadening stale vocabularies and finding sources of more expressive writing. …on target…engaging…thought-provoking…valuable."

Publisher’s Weekly: "…entertaining…demonstrating a fine ability to choose quotations from writers past and present that really sing. A helpful little compendium for writers and speakers…."

Honk If You’re a Writer (The Elements of Authorship)

Donald Westlake: "Should I tell you how wise, entertaining, useful, funny, insightful, and all-around worthwhile this book is? Nah, you’ll feel better if you find out yourself."

Booklist: "A uniquely personal, funny, candid, and wise treatise on the writing life .. This is one writers’ book that teaches by example.

Chicago Tribune: "This is a book for aspiring writers that has few equals."

Leonard W. Levy (Pulitzer-Prize winner): "An original work of scholarship that anyone interested in constitutional history should find useful.

James Hutson, chief, Library of Congress Manuscript Division: "[Plotnik] has performed small miracles of research."

Verlyn Klinkenborg, New York Times Book Review: "Indispensable."

American Forests: "... Plotnik writes with botanical precision and an engaging and lively style."

Booklist: "A uniquely entertaining and immensely enlightening guide."

Outdoor Explorer: "...pure delight. ...a welcome companion on your walk or at the park."

New Orleans Times-Picayune: "a terrific out-of-state traveling companion."

Trees New York: "...a wonderful book, a comprehensive, well researched."

forestry.about.com : "... a must read for any student or admirer of trees."

E Magazine, the environmental magazine: "Avoiding the dry descriptions typical of field guides, this book offers the perfect way to explore nature without ever leaving home."

[NOTE: Here I included four sample chapters, those my agent and I felt were the liveliest and most representative. ---A.P. ]