Wow! Other than Bird by Bird, I haven't ever loved a writing book this much. I have a feeling this is going to become a staple book for writers within the next few years. I know it's one that I will purchase and return to time and time again. It's full of practical advice that's written in a way that doesn't make you feel "talked at" or less than as some other writing books tend to do. It feels like sitting down and getting advice from a friend over coffee. I love this book!

Write Better
A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and Spirituality

by Andrew T. Le Peau

InterVarsity Press

IVP Books

Christian , Religion & Spirituality

Pub Date 08 Oct 2019

I am reviewing a copy of Write Better through InterVarsity Press and Netgalley:

Writing is not easy, but we can improve upon it with this primer on non-fiction writing. The author, publisher author and editor and editor for over forty years, who cheered on many writers. Andrew T. Le Peau offers insights from his perspective.

The skills Le Peau shows us that can be mastered are finding strong openings and closings, to focusing on an audience as well as creating clear structure, and to crafting a persuasive. This book includes wide ranging examples in both fiction and non-fiction. He also goes on to demystify aspects of art in writing such as creativity, tone, and metaphor. He considers strategies that can move writers toward fresher, more vital, and perhaps more beautiful expressions of the human condition.

Write Better shows us how the act of writing can affect our life in God. This book would be beneficial to writers whether Veteran or aspiring.

I give Write Better five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I have been wanting to write a book for the last 20 years. All the author events and books about writing did not help me. This book has made me feel I can do it. I will keep this ebook to start following Andrew T. me Peau's advice. He is down to earth, honest, gives great examples and helps one.feel the spiritual guidance needed to write.
For anyone wanting to write non-fiction this is great. One of my bucket list.ite!a may be accomplished other furture!

What a great read and something I have been looking for for a while! Spirituality and writing, something that really hit me deep. With personal, relatable stories, and lots of good information to consider during the writing process, I highly recommend. Thank you, I look forward to release day!

This book, by a longtime editor of a major Christian publisher is a comprehensive guide for the serious writer. It is written from the viewpoint of a Christian, but the majority of this book works for writers no matter their faith. There are sections on the chart of writing, the art of writing and the spirituality of writing. All of these were excellent and useful. Le Peau includes many excellent quotes and excerpts from famous writers to illustrate his points.
I encourage all writers who wish to improve their craft to get this new book and review it on a frequent basis.

As a writer and editor, I found this book to contain a lot of practical tips and advice. There are a number of prompts to try which can help you with your own writing.

The book is divided into three sections: the craft of writing, the art of writing, and the spirituality of writing. The author's suggestions are logical and easy to apply if you are a writer who wants to learn the craft, write better, and get published (even if only on your own blog).

Reviewing a book entitled Write Better A Lifelong Editor on Craft, Art, and
Spirituality admittedly feels like a strangely overwhelming and incongruent task. If a
young and unpublished writer has any business dealing with a lifelong editor’s
wisdom it should be in having their book review my writing rather than letting my
writing review their book! And yet I write anyway — and in this seeming paradox lies
the heart of Andrew T. Le Peau’s work: for all its hard, slow, long work, writing is
worth it, so here’s how to do it better.

As a writer, teacher, speaker, theologian, and editor with over three decades of
experience Le Peau brings a rich and nuanced collection of tools to the table. This
slather of experience works itself into the books three sections: (1) the craft of
writing, (2) the art of writing, and (3) the spirituality of writing. The first focuses
primarily on the nuts and bolts of getting words on paper: fitting structure, persuasion,
drama, and creative and concrete practices for breaking the bonds of writer’s block.
All this and rewriting… and rewriting, and oh, some more rewriting.

The second delves into the slightly more messy art of writing, covering rules to know
and (at times) to break, guidelines for metaphor and when less is more. This section
moves the reader towards a sense that writing is more than imbibing rules. It needs a
person behind it, a person grounded in Christ. And thus we arrive at the last section,
where writing is set forth as both spiritual gift and spiritual discipline. Here the
various threads that have permeated Le Peau’s work pull together. All throughout the
reader senses that writing is not a mere neutral task; it necessarily involves spiritual
and moral realities. Whether it’s the ethics of plagiarism, of representing your
material with truthfulness and integrity, or the reality of being an authority and being
under an authority in writing, writing is a moral and a spiritual practice. And thus, it is
not one to be taken lightly. And yet, for all Le Peau’s sobriety one comes away from
Write Better longing to do just that, to write better. The book’s tone remains
consistent: for all the possible pitfalls, writing is worthwhile and necessary. It is good.

The appendixes on creating a platform, working with editors and publishers, self-
publishing, and copyright are worth the whole book for their insight into what, at least
for an outsider, is a terrifying and mysterious world. And yet the choice to place them
as appendixes is particularly helpful, for it appears to say, “You can’t worry about
these things, till you get the most important parts right.” As such this book is a
supremely useful addition to the bookshelf of anyone desiring to get those ‘most
important parts’ right: the craft, art, and spirituality of writing.

I thank InterVarsity Press for providing me with an advance copy

The author covers a plethora of subjects related to writing in this book, from sentence structure to getting published. He quotes a number of famous writing gurus in this book and uses many examples from his own life and work.

I would have liked to have read more about the spirituality of writing from this author. This is a niche he has surely explored more than most editors, and I expected him to have more to say about that subject.