This is a guide for the undergraduate student writing an essay, the professional writer working on a story, or the manager writing a memo for a tight deadline. It aims to help the writer achieve a sense of control in their writing.



Writing with Power is a guide for the student writing an essay, the professional writer working on a story, or the manager writing a memo for a tight deadline. As Elbow explains, "Writing with power doesn't just mean getting power over readers. It means getting power over yourself and over the writing process: knowing what you are doing as you write; figuring out what you really mean; being in charge, having control; not feeling stuck or helpless or intimidated. I am particularly interested in this second kind of power in writing, and I have found that without it you seldom achieve the first kind". For the second edition, Elbow has written a new introduction in which he discusses in detail the "mysterious" dimensions of "Writing with Power" - voice, quality and bad writing, wrongness and felt sense, and sharing written work with others.