Writing for the Information Age

by Bruce Ross-Larson

W.W. Norton & Company, September, 2002.
Hardcover, 192 pages.
ISBN: 0393047865

Writing for the Information Age by Bruce Ross-Larson

Technology has created so many new ways to present information that writers have had to take advantage of these new options in order to entice readers. Bruce Ross-Larson, founder of the American Writing Institute and president of Communications Development Incorporate, provides techniques for grabbing an audience in the computer world in Writing for the Information Age. As Ross-Larson suggests, "Today's impatient readers pay attention mainly to writing that engages them -- to writing that allows them to find quickly and easily what might be of interest." The focus of the book is teaching you how to best organize and present information and link ideas across different media. The book has a unique and easy-to-use organizational structure. Each technique in the book is covered in a two-page spread, which both explains the technique and gives several examples of the technique in use. The technique listings are cross-referenced to other techniques. Writers will learn how to use tools such as word counts, content generators, document models and grammar checkers; use attention-sustaining devices such as short paragraphs, bulleted lists, tables, graphs and boxes; understand and utilize structure, including hierarchy, chronicle events, and sequences; and learn to write effective sentences, paragraphs and select better words. This is a great tool for professional writers, especially those involved with business communications and information technology.

Writing for the Information Age is available for purchase on Amazon.com

Note: We may receive a commission from sales made through product links in this article.

This review was published in the September, 2002 of The Internet Writing Journal.