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Elements of Style: Excerpt One
Written By bloglily on Feb. 18, 2007.
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Strunk & White's Elements of Style is full of terrific writing hints. I've been reading it off & on these days, and every once in a while will post some gems. Here's the first:
Prefer the specific to the abstract, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract.
A period of unfavorable weather set in.
It rained every day for a week.
He showed satisfaction as he took possession of his well-earned reward.
He grinned as he pocketed the coin.
If those who have studied the art of writing are in accord on any one point, it is this: the surest way to arouse and hold the reader's attention is by being specific, definite, and concrete. The greatest writers -- Homer, Dante, Shakespeare -- are effective largely because they deal in particulars and report the details that matter. Their words call up pictures.
Written Feb. 18, 2007 / Edit / Report /
"Prefer the specific to the abstract, the definite to the vague, the concrete to the abstract"
This is a great hint. I tend to do the vague and abstract but I see that this would be a better way for those writing stories.
It's like when someone is talking and that person is the kind who tells really long stories, I want to shake my hand to hurry them along hoping they will get to the point because I know there is probably something worth listening to; I just want them to discard all the stuff around it so that I can find out what it is.
Rich
Written Feb. 18, 2007 / Report /
I'm no writer, but Strunk & White's is one book anyone, writing anything anywhere should read.
kweenkong
Written Feb. 19, 2007 / Report /
I, too, love Strunk & White's Elements of Style. I've been a fan of it since having to study it to progress in my PR writing job.
The coaching in that book propelled my skills immensely. I'm much better now at writing clear, concise sentences. My sentence structure has improved, and I now know the power of a short sentence amid lots of long ones. That's my favorite trick!
bloglily
Written Feb. 19, 2007 / Report /
Hey Kweenkong -- I know what you mean by the short sentence amid lots of long ones. A good thing to remember!
Rich, You are too a writer. And a speller of some note.
Cooper -- In a writing class I took once, the teacher pointed out that a lot of stories actually begin about five paragraphs in. Everything else before that? Throat clearing. I still write the throat clearing paragraphs though. The trick is to know them when you see them and get rid of them.