Book Reviews

Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch by Constance Hale

Guest Book Reviewer Kathy Myers nails a review of Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: Let Verbs Power Your Writing.

If a mousy English teacher yanked the hairpins out of her tight bun, slammed down a couple of boiler makers, and shimmied around the dance floor at a biker bar, she could blame it on the copy of “Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch” tucked in her Borders Book bag. Constance Hale stimulates writers to accentuate and resuscitate their sentences with better verbs—the “little despots” that dictate what happens in the sentence. But it’s not just about verbs; it’s about better writing. It’s about smashing bad habits, and flirting with new ones. It’s about the rich history of our mutt of a mother tongue, and appreciation of its ongoing evolution. And because “the antidote to anxiety is mastery” each chapter includes prompts to “try, do, write, and play”, and thus makes this a worthy reference for any writer who wants to let loose on their literary dance floor.

Kathy Myers entered the blogosphere with comments and creative writing on the Write Spot Blog.  She is now wading cautiously into the submission pool. Her piece, “Haunted” was performed by Petaluma Readers Theater last fall.

Note from Marlene:  Join us:  Post your writing, comment and learn about places to submit your writing at The Write Spot.

Constance Hale and Michael Shapiro will share their tips about writing on March 20, 2014 at Writers Forum in Petaluma, CA.

Would you like to be a Guest Book Reviewer? Email Marlene:  mcullen@comcast.net

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