How to Write Short Audiobook By Roy Peter Clark cover art

How to Write Short

Word Craft for Fast Times

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

How to Write Short

By: Roy Peter Clark
Narrated by: Roy Peter Clark
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $25.78

Buy for $25.78

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

America's most influential writing teacher offers an engaging and practical guide to effective short-form writing.

In How to Write Short , Roy Peter Clark turns his attention to the art of painting a thousand pictures with just a few words. Short forms of writing have always existed - from ship logs and telegrams to prayers and haikus. But in this ever-changing Internet age, short-form writing has become an essential skill. Clark covers how to write effective and powerful titles, headlines, essays, sales pitches, Tweets, letters, and even self-descriptions for online dating services. With examples from the long tradition of short-form writing in Western culture, How to Write Short guides writers to crafting brilliant prose, even in 140 characters.

©2013 Roy Peter Clark (P)2013 Gildan Media LLC Communication & Social Skills Personal Development Words, Language & Grammar Writing & Publishing Inspiring Nonfiction
Perfect Examples • Story Comparison • Timeless Tips • Word Building
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  

What did you love best about How to Write Short?

Yes, it's ironic that a book about writing short is so long - but that's because it's packed full of perfect examples! This builds on his other book (Writing Tools) and is a perfect accompaniment.

What did you like best about this story?

Great tips. Even they're dated, the examples are still relevant - and I think they always will be.

What about Roy Peter Clark’s performance did you like?

Solid all around. I listened at 1.5 speed.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The way he compared a story to facts - Facts can help you get somewhere. A story places you directly in it.

Any additional comments?

Get it.

Timeless tips for any writer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I wish I had read the print version to make notes in. If I get around to doing so, I’ll get a lot more out of it than if I had just read it.

One to read and not listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This could be useful for anyone who enjoys writing even an email or text or someone just interested in the craft of writing

Great listen

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you try another book from Roy Peter Clark and/or Roy Peter Clark?

Based on this book, perhaps not.

Any additional comments?

More nuts-and-bolts instruction, the purported 'How to' of the book's title, would have improved it.

Entertaining, but more survey than instruction.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great audio and the info was stimulating and meaningful. Well worth l
istening to 👍

Excellent listen for communicating better

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a comprehensive, but plain-language treatise on "short writing", which covers everything the title describes, including epitaphs, emails, any form of text, tweet, or sound bite you care to name, journalistic accounts, safety instructions, advertisements, political and commercial "pitches", song lyrics, you name it. For me, the section on poetry, which is short writing par excellence, is an outstanding non-technical introduction to the subject. Another virtue of the book is that, despite being "short", it is not short in attribution, because it is thoroughly documents every point the author makes with a thickly knit network of examples and literary references that are not just attention-getting to the very point. Finally, the section about misuses of short writing at the end is well worth as a stand-alone piece. Can't say enough. Will re-read this one because it's worth it..

Excellent book that lives up to its title.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
this gives useful advise. I have no friend's...ducks can be scary...
I spend way to much time on tiktok...
also this book is good

this is the book to start at...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An ironically long book on the topic. Also ironic that Audible requires a twenty word review.

Ironically long

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
If you want to write short then read short writing. That sums this book up. The rest of this book got tedious. There was some good stuff about where to find short writing to read. But honestly, for a book about how to write short, there was a lot of excess material. The real problem with this is that I now have a hard time remembering the parts of the book I liked. I

Too Long Still Read, Well Listened

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book delivers on its title, How to Write Short. And it also tells you why.

Free Prize Inside

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews