Joy Writing is an introduction to the process of writing for students and adults. It demonstrates how word choices add vigor and clarity or drain them away. Subjects include active verbs, metaphor etc. as well as less conventional ideas. The author earns his living writing books that make dull subjects fun: if he can explain calculus and electronics in clear, humorous language, imagine the fun he has with his favorite topic.

Ideal for students faced with taking the new SAT or for adults with a literary dream; the author supports concepts with examples from more than fifty writers, including John Steinbeck, Annie Dillard, Dave Barry, William Shakespeare (Mr. Barry insists that his name always precede Mr Shakespeare's) Margaret Atwood, B.J. Chute, Donald Trump, Edward Ormondroyd and other.

Kenn started writing this book in 2001 primarily for his sons. All three of his grown sons have written at least one book-length manuscript, including fiction, nonfiction and screenplays. So, of course, Kenn talks about writing with them. Once when Joey called from New York with a question about point of view, Kenn realized that he had spent an hour on the phone with Scott the previous week discussing exactly that. A mini lightning bolt lit his brain for a moment and he thought, hey, I'm a writer, I ought to save us all some time and write down my thoughts on the subject as they occur to me. Make three copies and we'll save a bunch of long distance charges.

So, he started a file on his computer and called it "Joy Writing" which was a twist on the phrase "joy riding" which means stealing cars, but doing it cheerfully. He listed it on his website as a future title, assigned it an ISBN for the fun of it and wrote on it whenever something occurred to him. The title was intended only as a working title. He checked to make sure there were no other books with that name and saw that the ones that were similar were out of print. It was a great working title because it reminded him to stay focussed on the fun aspects of writing. But his marketing side thought it would not be the ideal title once we had to sell the things.

Then he upgraded his Mac's operating system, and suddenly Dreamweaver, the program he'd struggled to learn to create a rudimentary website, no longer worked. He had other priorities, some health problems, and could not justify purchasing a new web program. So his website remained unchanged for several years.

Unfortunately, during that time someone noticed the title and ISBN on that website and somehow it got listed in Books In Print and Amazon and the big book wholesalers. Then he started getting orders for the book, even though he had not even finished writing it yet. Google found it, and all the online bookstores that get their data from the big distributors started listing it as for sale on their website ("Usually ships within 48 hours!") and it wasn't even typed up yet. There were several hundred references to the book on the web

So he got more serious about finishing it. Once it was ready to go, he discovered the concept of "fair usage." Fair usage means you can quote someone else in your work if you follow certain guidelines. Unfortunately, no one has written those guidelines yet. In fact, when the issue has come before the Supreme Court, they held on at least two occasions that it was cool to keep the rules vague. If you only quote four words out of an eight hundred page book, that's probably fair usage. But not if it's the last three words of the book, and they are "the butler did it."

So then he had to track down the authors AND copyright owners of all those fifty quotes. Obviously, they represent fifty different definitions of "fair usage." It took some time, but we finally got them. Some of the copyright owners were jerks and we removed their quote. Almost all the authors were a delight. Margaret Atwood does not give blurbs, for example, or else that would be her full time job. But her assistant sent a very nice note. Same with Annie Dillard, who signed her permission with an inside joke that made us all smile. Reg Saner, George Garrett and Edward Ormondroyd volunteered blurbs. Please buy their books, they are uncommonly virtuous men.

While we were getting the permissions and fooling around, someone else came out with "The Joy of Writing Sex" And I think they re-released an old book called "Joy of Writing" which had been long out of print when Kenn chose his working title. So now, if you google Joy Writing, you may well find Joy of Writing Sex and Joy of Writing. Sorry about that.

As to the cover: The review copies had a very edgy collage of Kenn's paintings. Very hip, but a bit disturbing and disjointed. One of our largest customers hated it. She said, "it's an elegant book, it needs a more elegant cover." But the book had already been sent to the printers. We literally called them and told them to stop the presses.

That afternoon, Kenn took his digital camera up to the Park 'n Ride bus stop near Broomfield and snapped the cover shot. As you may have guessed, he is not a guy who is asked to do "elegant" very often, and it does not come naturally. He cobbled together the new cover that afternoon and sent it to the printer. It is not disturbing, but it may not represent the fun quality of the book. Honest, the book is not about ritual sacrifices on the plains of Colorado.

Although that might not be a bad idea for a book...

clearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics &lt;span class=&quot;style8&quot;&gt;for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writing algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, algebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loats calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the joy of writing sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make thisalgebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loatsclearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics &lt;span class=&quot;style8&quot;&gt;for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writingg algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make this square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. Sorry, no Jill, no wagner. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>
square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Wri</span><span class="style11">ters Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Jill Wagner is the actress in the Mercury Mariner TV commercial. Jill Wagner will become a big star and people will google her. That's Jill Wagner, mercuryvehicles.com, TV actress. She's in Vancouver filming a movie.Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>