Oops, I lied. No fiction. Not yet at any rate. I’m having a hard time finding anything suitable for posting here. Most of what I’ve written lately is a tad too lengthy for the web.
Since my last entry—and a few arguments on spelling and grammar with a few old friends—some people have asked me privately how to improve their writing. I have pondered what advice to give. I have to admit that it’s a tough area to advise anyone in. I am an untrained writer chastising people for poor written-communication skills.
Still, since I have been asked I have considered the question. I’ve come up with a couple of suggestions that I hope are helpful.
Suggestion one:
Read more.
I think the reason that people have trouble communicating—especially in the written word—is that they have no reference point. The reason I know what I do about writing, about grammar and usage and spelling, is that I read. I read a lot. At times I read four or five books in a week—on top of whatever magazines and newspapers I pick up.
A lot of people I talk to these days don’t feel that they have very much time to devote to reading. Between taking care of the kids, going to work, keeping house and trying to find time to relax; people just don’t have the energy in them at the end of the day to sit down with a book.
I know there are times when I’d rather watch TV or play on the internet (and reading on the internet doesn’t count because the writing one finds on-line is usually unforgivably poor). Still, I find time to read. The newspaper, a book, a magazine; anything where the writing significant and well-edited.
I have a number of volumes of short stories. Short fiction is the answer for anyone who feels like a novel is too great an undertaking but prefers fiction to magazines and newspapers. The short story is designed to be read in one sitting. Even a slow reader can finish a twenty-page story in an hour before bed.
What reading will do for you is reacquaint you with the written word. It will reintroduce you to the rules of grammar and style in a painless, fun way. You won’t notice it’s going on, but sooner or later the rules will make themselves clear and though you may never be able to put into words how you know, but you will know when to use its and when to use it’s.
Getting friendly with the language will make a good chunk of the rules seem like second nature. A good writer is a good reader. I’m sure you wouldn’t attempt to build a deck without first looking at one carefully and considering its structure and form. Words and sentences are the same way.
Suggestion two:
Get yourself a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.
There are a few different editions out there and some of the newer ones, apparently, are better. However, it is the third edition that sits to my left now and so that is the one I will comment on.
First written by William Strunk in 1918 and published privately for use in Strunk’s English classes at Cornell University it was later revised by one of his former students: E. B. White. (If White’s name seems familiar to you, you probably read his book, Charlotte’s Web, as a youngster.)
This book is tiny. If you take the liberty of lopping off White’s introduction and the index, it’s a mere 85 pages. The rules in the book are, for the most part, short, barked commands: “Do not join independent clauses with a comma,” “The number of the subject determines the number of the verb,” “Use the proper case of pronoun.” These are followed by simple explanations of the rule, a couple of examples and a hint or two. There’s not a lot of doubt or wonder in Strunk’s work.
The foggy area is provided by Mr. White’s revisions; specifically his chapter, An Approach to Style. Here White manages to soften the language and allows the reader to get comfortable because it is here that White discusses the practical application of the English language. He sees to gently imply that not every rule need to be taken so seriously in every situation.
The Elements of Style is an excellent tool to have for those times when you just aren’t sure about a specific rule. It’s also an easy, quick read that will improve your writing immediately.
A couple of caveats regarding my own perception of this book’s usefulness:
At one point in the second chapter Strunk tells us to make the paragraph the unit of composition. What he means by this is to focus on writing one paragraph at a time. This is, for writers of fiction, bunk. The sentence is holy. If you’re writing fiction, make the sentence the principle unit of composition. Tight, perfect sentences will always sound better than carefully draughted paragraphs.
Which brings me to my second warning. These rules should probably be followed rigidly if you’re writing a formal essay or article in school. If you do as the book says no teacher in his or her right mind will contest your style. Of course, when writing fiction—especially in a first-person narrative—you can abandon some of these rules in a judicious way to very positive effect. I’m not suggesting you do away with your Strunk and White while you write fiction, but you should consider which rules to use and when you should use them.
My last caution regarding this book is in regards specifically to the third edition. If you happen to pick up the third edition second-hand it’s important to realise that what was true about language in 1979 is not necessarily true today. If it sounds out-of-date, ignore it. For example: White champions the use of “he” for nouns embracing both genders. This is, of course, not the way we communicate today. We use inclusive language and to hell with the clutter caused by saying “he or she”.
Regardless of these warnings though, The Elements of Style is the best book on style I can recommend (unless you plan to become a fulltime writer, in which case we should discuss the Chicago Manual of Style). Strunk and White’s book is simple and small. And, it’s worth noting, fits into a blazer pocket without decimating the lines of a nice Italian cut.
Suggestion three:
Read what you’ve written out loud. If it sounds wrong, it probably is.
Never, ever write something and send it out into the world without reading it over at least once. You won’t catch all of your mistakes as you write. You probably won’t catch them all on your first re-draught either. A well-written piece—be it an essay, a story, an email or even just a note to your boyfriend or girlfriend—is one that has been read over and rewritten numerous times.
And yes, from time to time mistakes will creep into your work and you won’t catch them. But if you take the time to ensure that what you’ve written is the best you can do, the people who read it will appreciate the work you put in.
And as I said, read it out loud to yourself. If something sounds wrong it probably needs another pass.
I hope these suggestions help the people who want help. I hope they cause the people who didn’t ask for help to consider their skills where the written word is concerned.
If not, forget it. It’s not important.
Now, this time I promise to update with some fiction. I swear I will not post again until I find a story suitable for publication here.
Following that I have a little ranting I want to do on the issue of Climate Change. Get your conservative claws sharpened because I’m about to tear into the right-wing argument with the wild abandon of a priest in a kiddie-pool.
Since my last entry—and a few arguments on spelling and grammar with a few old friends—some people have asked me privately how to improve their writing. I have pondered what advice to give. I have to admit that it’s a tough area to advise anyone in. I am an untrained writer chastising people for poor written-communication skills.
Still, since I have been asked I have considered the question. I’ve come up with a couple of suggestions that I hope are helpful.
Suggestion one:
Read more.
I think the reason that people have trouble communicating—especially in the written word—is that they have no reference point. The reason I know what I do about writing, about grammar and usage and spelling, is that I read. I read a lot. At times I read four or five books in a week—on top of whatever magazines and newspapers I pick up.
A lot of people I talk to these days don’t feel that they have very much time to devote to reading. Between taking care of the kids, going to work, keeping house and trying to find time to relax; people just don’t have the energy in them at the end of the day to sit down with a book.
I know there are times when I’d rather watch TV or play on the internet (and reading on the internet doesn’t count because the writing one finds on-line is usually unforgivably poor). Still, I find time to read. The newspaper, a book, a magazine; anything where the writing significant and well-edited.
I have a number of volumes of short stories. Short fiction is the answer for anyone who feels like a novel is too great an undertaking but prefers fiction to magazines and newspapers. The short story is designed to be read in one sitting. Even a slow reader can finish a twenty-page story in an hour before bed.
What reading will do for you is reacquaint you with the written word. It will reintroduce you to the rules of grammar and style in a painless, fun way. You won’t notice it’s going on, but sooner or later the rules will make themselves clear and though you may never be able to put into words how you know, but you will know when to use its and when to use it’s.
Getting friendly with the language will make a good chunk of the rules seem like second nature. A good writer is a good reader. I’m sure you wouldn’t attempt to build a deck without first looking at one carefully and considering its structure and form. Words and sentences are the same way.
Suggestion two:
Get yourself a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.
There are a few different editions out there and some of the newer ones, apparently, are better. However, it is the third edition that sits to my left now and so that is the one I will comment on.
First written by William Strunk in 1918 and published privately for use in Strunk’s English classes at Cornell University it was later revised by one of his former students: E. B. White. (If White’s name seems familiar to you, you probably read his book, Charlotte’s Web, as a youngster.)
This book is tiny. If you take the liberty of lopping off White’s introduction and the index, it’s a mere 85 pages. The rules in the book are, for the most part, short, barked commands: “Do not join independent clauses with a comma,” “The number of the subject determines the number of the verb,” “Use the proper case of pronoun.” These are followed by simple explanations of the rule, a couple of examples and a hint or two. There’s not a lot of doubt or wonder in Strunk’s work.
The foggy area is provided by Mr. White’s revisions; specifically his chapter, An Approach to Style. Here White manages to soften the language and allows the reader to get comfortable because it is here that White discusses the practical application of the English language. He sees to gently imply that not every rule need to be taken so seriously in every situation.
The Elements of Style is an excellent tool to have for those times when you just aren’t sure about a specific rule. It’s also an easy, quick read that will improve your writing immediately.
A couple of caveats regarding my own perception of this book’s usefulness:
At one point in the second chapter Strunk tells us to make the paragraph the unit of composition. What he means by this is to focus on writing one paragraph at a time. This is, for writers of fiction, bunk. The sentence is holy. If you’re writing fiction, make the sentence the principle unit of composition. Tight, perfect sentences will always sound better than carefully draughted paragraphs.
Which brings me to my second warning. These rules should probably be followed rigidly if you’re writing a formal essay or article in school. If you do as the book says no teacher in his or her right mind will contest your style. Of course, when writing fiction—especially in a first-person narrative—you can abandon some of these rules in a judicious way to very positive effect. I’m not suggesting you do away with your Strunk and White while you write fiction, but you should consider which rules to use and when you should use them.
My last caution regarding this book is in regards specifically to the third edition. If you happen to pick up the third edition second-hand it’s important to realise that what was true about language in 1979 is not necessarily true today. If it sounds out-of-date, ignore it. For example: White champions the use of “he” for nouns embracing both genders. This is, of course, not the way we communicate today. We use inclusive language and to hell with the clutter caused by saying “he or she”.
Regardless of these warnings though, The Elements of Style is the best book on style I can recommend (unless you plan to become a fulltime writer, in which case we should discuss the Chicago Manual of Style). Strunk and White’s book is simple and small. And, it’s worth noting, fits into a blazer pocket without decimating the lines of a nice Italian cut.
Suggestion three:
Read what you’ve written out loud. If it sounds wrong, it probably is.
Never, ever write something and send it out into the world without reading it over at least once. You won’t catch all of your mistakes as you write. You probably won’t catch them all on your first re-draught either. A well-written piece—be it an essay, a story, an email or even just a note to your boyfriend or girlfriend—is one that has been read over and rewritten numerous times.
And yes, from time to time mistakes will creep into your work and you won’t catch them. But if you take the time to ensure that what you’ve written is the best you can do, the people who read it will appreciate the work you put in.
And as I said, read it out loud to yourself. If something sounds wrong it probably needs another pass.
I hope these suggestions help the people who want help. I hope they cause the people who didn’t ask for help to consider their skills where the written word is concerned.
If not, forget it. It’s not important.
Now, this time I promise to update with some fiction. I swear I will not post again until I find a story suitable for publication here.
Following that I have a little ranting I want to do on the issue of Climate Change. Get your conservative claws sharpened because I’m about to tear into the right-wing argument with the wild abandon of a priest in a kiddie-pool.
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