Summary

If Elements of Style were a listicle but in a good way. This is a very short read, and I’ll probably want to refer back to it frequently.

My expectations for this title were low, but good advice abounds. I was wary of picking it up (partially because I’ve read toooooo many writing books recently and they’re starting to get a little dull).

Here’s a grab bag of stuff from it.

Do not try to write everything about your subject … tie yourself to some specific idea about your subject, some aspect that is manageable.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

How to write a strong beginning:

Either you give the readers information that affects them directly, or you give them a human being with whom they can identify.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

How to edit your beginning (reverse for your ending):

Cross out every single sentence until you come to one you cannot do without. That is your beginning.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

I’d never heard of pyramid style before.

Writing in the pyramid style means getting to the point at the top, putting the “who, what, when, where, and why” in the first paragraph, and developing the supporting information under it.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

When you rewrite your early drafts, ask how each sentence in a paragraph supports the topic sentence of the paragraph. If the answer is “It doesn’t,” then ask what other work the sentence is doing in the paragraph. If the answer is “None,” get rid of the sentence.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

The author places an emphasis on the euphony of writing. He compares words and sentences to music and rhythm.

So write with a combination of short, medium, and long sentences. Create a sound that pleases the reader’s ear. Don’t just write words. Write music.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

On knowing when to use a comma:

When your ear fails you and you can’t decide whether to add that comma, DON’T.

– Gary Provost, 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing

Details

Links

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