The section on "Misused Words and Expressions" can help me as well. Since it acts basically as a condensed version of the AP Stylebook (minus a great deal of the technical aspects, and obviously not so in-depth), this section makes for great reference material on those niggling details that a writer often forgets. Additionally, the advice given often provides ways to cut back on unnecessary words, another tool that I can use to reach my goal of writing more vitally.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Advice From "Elements Of Style"
I'd like to incorporate Strunk and White's advice about omitting needless words into my writing. More than I'd like to admit, I'll use unnecessary words only for the purpose of reaching the necessary word count, or the required amount of pages. Reducing my verbosity, therefore, entails more than just cutting down on superfluous content in my writing; this means I'll have to get to work on projects earlier, so I'll have time to put in more content and less fluff. This gives me the ability to edit out the words I then won't need.
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What do you think about using "The Elements of Style" to help with the Style Guide. I still don't know where to start even though I have three great books (the NYT, AP, and Elements)!
ReplyDeleteI think using that small section about the often misused words would be helpful, though some of the stuff he talks about is a bit outdated. Used in conjunction with each other, they'd be great. Have you talked to Marin at all about the Style Guide? She could give you some pointers on how to start, I'm sure. If you need any extra help, I'd be happy to attempt anything!
ReplyDeleteI have the same problem with writing too much, without really meaning too. I like to reach my page limits by fleshing out my argument with unnecessary words. I hope we can both use this book to help us with our writing.
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