We’re kicking off the New Year with simple tricks and heuristics that are guaranteed to improve your writing and help you develop a sharper sense of style. But, unlike the confusing and sometimes counterintuitive rules of traditional style guides, this series offers a refreshing and relevant take on writing readable texts of all kinds.
Writers often get a sense of style from reading good writing.
Think of your favorite books. What makes them so good? Is it the wording, the opening paragraphs, the arc of the story? Or is it more about how everything fits together? Perhaps it is all of these things — which collectively create the author’s unique style.
But how can the rest of us hone this crucial writing skill?
Despite Oscar Wilde’s quip that “nothing that is worth knowing can be taught,” there are concrete steps you can take to make your writing better.
Of course, there are countless style guides out there — all aimed at helping authors master the art of grammar and punctuation. However, most accomplished writers will tell you that they sharpen their skills not from reading style guides, but from looking closely at other works they have read and enjoyed.
Indeed, studying good prose is central to developing solid writing skills. To give you an example of compelling prose, take the first line of scientist Richard Dawkins’ book Unweaving the Rainbow:
“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones.”
Engaging prose captures your attention by starting strong and avoiding clichés and banalities. So, if you want to add a sense of grandeur to your writing, take a tip from Dawkins and spice up your prose with a bit of poetry.
But what if you’re trying to communicate an abstract idea? One way to make the conceptual more concrete is to use vivid imagery, which can both clarify an idea and anchor the reader’s imagination. In the same book, Dawkins describes the myriad of unrealized genetic possibilities as “unborn ghosts”— a powerful and evocative image.
Dawkins is bold from the very first paragraph, and this leaves a strong impression on the reader — which is ultimately the goal of most literature, regardless of genre.
But you don’t have to limit your list of “good writing” to literary classics; you can find other inspirations in newspapers or magazines.
New York Times writer Margalit Fox’s work in writing obituaries, for example, clearly demonstrates that you can capture a person’s legacy in 800 words or less. When she wrote an obituary for Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, Fox wrote of his books:
“Roundly praised, intermittently censored, and occasionally eaten.”
This playful juxtaposition perfectly captures the far-reaching impact of his books — both on critics, some of whom have condemned his work, and on toddlers, who, being too young to read, see books as just another thing to put in their mouths.
Until tomorrow…
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