How to Write Short

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

"How to Write Short is a deeply practical guidebook and an annotated collection of concise gems from some of the world's greatest writers and journalists, not one of them longer than 300 words. Roy's message is clear: great writing is a matter of craft, not word count. How to Write Short will make you a better writer at any length."—Robin Sloan, author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hours Bookstore


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 ships' logs and telegrams to prayers and haiku. 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, social media posts, 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.

"It both instructs and delights, in equal measure." —Ben Yagoda, author of How to Not Write Bad

"How to Write Short comes at the perfect time and enshrines Roy Peter Clark as America's best writing coach. This book should be on every serious writer's shelf." —Ben Montgomery, staff writer at Tampa Bay Times