Improve Your Writing From A To Z

Review by Paul “The Funky” Gibbons

I heard a vague mention of this book on Mike’s forum, so I decided to track it down. In the end, I could not find it in the UK, so I had to order it from the US. Using Amazon, it is possible to look inside the book before purchase and it was evident that it would be of interest to a collector like me.

The book is a guide to the correct use of English when writing. Immediately, I can see how it might be useful to members of the forum grammar police. Of course, it is written from an American point of view, and we all know how they have abused the English language since we loaned it to them.

However, the reason why it is of interest to Dream Theater fans is that Ross has peppered the book with examples from Dream Theater’s history. In fact in every case, if there was any opportunity to weave Dream Theater into the text, however convoluted, Ross took it.

Under D, Ross lists Dream Theater.

Dream Theater is a progressive-metal musical band from New York. The band’s history was so flavourful and interesting that it made an ideal subject for the example phrases in this book.

It is evident that Ross is a huge fan, as his examples are not limited to the current band, but he makes reference to ancient history such as the firing of Steve Stone and Chris Collins being the first vocalist. In another example, he demonstrates the correct usage of ampersand by referring to “the acoustic covers of Pipo & Elo”. Class homework for those in the dark is to look up their contribution to Dream Theater history.

As well as serious examples, there is also some comedy. I was amused by:

Complement n. v.

Complement is a noun and a verb denoting completeness or the process of supplementing something:

Example: Mike Portnoy’s beard complements his shaggy mane of hair.

The next one is funny because I don’t think it is true.

The venue manager may give backstage passes to fans who appear clean and orderly and who are wearing the band’s apparel.

If only that was all it took!

This book is one of those unusual things that seem to happen to Dream Theater and I can recommend it. I am sure that there may be better text books out there, but for the sheer audacity of the examples used, this deserves a prized place on your bookshelf.

Interview With Ross Edwards

Interview by Paul “The Funky” Gibbons

Kerry and I both had the same idea of tracking down Ross to tell him that we were reviewing the book in the fanzine and also to let him know what the band thought of his efforts. Having made contact, I then sent him ten questions that he was kind enough to reply to.

1 What is your background? Are you a teacher?

In my full-time job, I am a professional writer of legal documents for the state government. I went to law school, but I found that legal practice was not for me. I love writing – I write every single day – and I would be content to spend my entire career as a writer and teacher. With the U.S. economy in dire condition, universities are making professors redundant rather than hiring, so teaching has to wait for now.

2 Is this your first book?

Improve Your Writing from A to Z is my third completed book and the second one that has reached publication. My first book, The Card Wizard’s Black Book, was about the trading card game industry, and is also available through Amazon. My second book, a guide to taking legal exams and the bar exam. is press-ready, but my publisher is keeping it on ice until the U.S. legal industry gets a bit healthier.

3 How long have you been a Dream Theater fan?

I heard Pull Me Under on the radio in late 1992 and I have been a fan ever since!

4 Where did the original idea for using Dream Theater examples come from?

A reference guide like Improve can be pretty dry reading. It is even drier to write. After a while, I got punchy and started adding humorous bits. I realized that I would ruin the books credibility if I put a joke on every page, so I looked through some of my old textbooks and noticed that the writers broke up the monotony by threading real-life themes throughout the lessons. I chose progressive music for a theme, and I realized that each edition of the book could focus on one band, with a few scattered nods to other bands. The 2009 edition of Improve focuses on Dream Theater, but there are a few notes about Rush in there, for example. Future editions will probably highlight Iron Maiden, Rush, Pink Floyd, and so on, but there will be some DT references every time.

5 Did thinking of examples add to the time taken to write the book?

Actually, it saved time, because I did not have to stop with every entry and think of a new theme to illustrate. Everybody has heard of rock bands, even if they haven’t heard of DT, so I knew my readers would be able to connect to the concept on that basic level. In fact, I was concerned that I might be oversaturating the book with DT references, so I had to slow down at times and add more “generic” examples.

6 What did your publisher think of the examples?

The editor-in-chief at Exuberance Press is a DT fan, and he absolutely loved it. The core purpose of all my book is to teach the reader, but we figured if the book happened to bring DT some new fans, so much the better!

7 Were there any examples that did not make the cut because they were too obscure or too cheeky?

Absolutely! I did not keep a “director’s cut,” though now I wish I had so I could quote you some of the examples. The book was intended for a general audience that wants to learn how to write, not for music fans specifically, so if the example did not stand by itself without deeper context, it had to go. I had a reference to John Myung tackling James LaBrie on stage that one time, but only a DT fan would understand why that was funny – I had no room to explain that Myung is stoic the other 99% of the time. I also opted to tread lightly or stay away entirely on issues of personal or professional difficulty for the band, such as Mike Portnoy’s recovery from alcoholism and the band’s label struggles in 1997-98. I knew most of the book’s readers would be unfamiliar with DT, and I did not want their first impression of the band to be tarnished by negative references, especially since we fans know that sort of thing isn’t what DT is all about anyway.

8 So far, how many copies have sold?

As of this writing, Improve has sold about 500 copies. By way of comparison, my first book has sold about 2000 copies. Mainstream titles sell much more, of course, but as independent titles go, Improve is tracking ahead of Exuberance Press’s projections, and Black Book has done wonderfully. Improve had a “soft launch” with limited promotion, mostly to local high schools and community colleges, and that is where the bulk of the sales have been. It would be pretty funny if more DT fans ended up owning Improve than writing students! I just hope I can teach the DT readers about writing while they enjoy reading snippets of the band’s history.

9 Until now, what feedback have you had from readers?

I have heard fairly little from readers so far. One reader complained that the book addressed only American writing style and not British writing style. That is a fair complaint. I mean no offense to readers in other countries; it’s just that my only expertise in writing styles is American English.

10 Have you had any negative comments from educators?

Just one, but it turned from a negative into a positive. A professor from Colorado Springs who teaches a “writing for the professions” type of course bought the book and contacted me with corrections! I was a little embarrassed, because I edited the book very closely and I was fairly sure I had caught everything, but she found a few things that I had indeed missed. She had bought the book on a whim after recognizing that the cover photo was taken at the top of Pike’s Peak, practically in her back yard. She gave me a treasure trove of advice about academic publishing, and said her college-aged daughters had enjoyed the music references and jokes. I took her feedback to heart, and in the end, she said she would assign the 2010 edition to her class for next spring’s semester as long as I corrected every error she found in the 2009 edition. Early next year; her students will be learning all about the adventures of Steve Harris and Nicko McBrain – or possibly about Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson; I haven’t yet decided!

IMPROVE YOUR WRITING FROM A TO Z by Ross Edwards

2009 Edition ISBN: 978-1441400321