'Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking' As Gripping As A First-rate Novel, Says Reviewer

Online, March 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - It's rare that a self-help book becomes a real "page-turner" like a first-rate novel. However, that seems to be the case with The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking like a Professional by Philip Yaffe.

According to Fran Lewis, "When I received a review copy of the book, I hadn't intended to read it and write about it for another two to three weeks. But then I glanced at the first few pages and just couldn't put it down."

Fran Lewis is a New York based author of children's books (Bertha series) and a prolific book reviewer. Philip Yaffe is a Brussels (Belgium) based author, former reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal, and long-time international marketing communication executive.

The Gettysburg Approach is a rare book that looks at the true fundamentals of writing and speaking, and uncovers their essential similarity. According to the author, "The handful of easy-to-understand principles that underlie effective writing are the same as those that underlie effective public speaking. It is important to recognize how similar these two disciplines are in order to better exploit their unique differences."

In her two-part review -- "There was just too much to say in only one" -- Ms. Lewis notes that, "Although it might not be a novel with characters, plot, scenes and dialogue, this book will help you learn how to create those scenes, write your news or magazine article, and come straight to the point. Most important, it will teach you how to get readers and listeners to want to read or listen to what you have written or are saying."

After delineating the similarities and differences between writing and speaking, The Gettysburg Approach offers numerous tips and techniques for applying the handful of underlying principles, as well as numerous illustrative examples and exercises to help the reader convert theory into practice.

"Learning the correct way to use bullet points and numbered lists, and using the correct tense in my writing helped me to realize that I cannot write in every tense when creating my children's or non-fiction books," Ms. Lewis says.

A key premise of the book is that good writing is good writing, whatever the language, because the fundamental principles are the same, whatever the language. The book is therefore being considered for translation into French, German, Spanish, and a number of other tongues. As Ms. Lewis points out, the final part of the section on the fundamentals of writing, which zeros in on writing tips and techniques in English, is really for all writers.

"This is a must read for journalists, college students, educators, and public speakers. I really think that this book is presented in an interesting, concise and clear manner. The information presented is interesting and the examples are easy to understand. The exercises at the end of the book are invaluable.

"Where was this great book when I was in college taking English and writing term papers?"

Biographical Information

Philip Yaffe was born in Boston in 1942 and grew up in Los Angeles. In 1965 he graduated in mathematics from UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles), where he was also editor-in-chief of the Daily Bruin, the daily student newspaper.

Mr. Yaffe has more than 40 years of experience in journalism and marketing communication. At various points in his career, he has been a teacher of journalism, a reporter/feature writer with The Wall Street Journal, an account executive with a major international press relations agency, European marketing communication director with two major international companies, and a founding partner of a marketing communication agency in Brussels, Belgium, where he has lived since 1974.

He can be reached either at [email protected] or [email protected].