The Sense of Style

Why should I read The Sense of Style The Sense of Style is an interesting read for those of us looking to understand what is considered good writing. With the power of the internet, one can argue that good writing is disappearing. Even with me being a blogger, these are all long form first drafts. Meaning everything I post is wrote as I think it and then its posted. I will only go back every 500 posts, and began reviewing and revising my past work. While I do have the desire to be a better writer, I also don’t have the time to zealously edit, everything I post. And would rather get the content in front of people than to hold on to it forever, because it is not perfect. After all at this point in our lives we kind of auto correct and over look, grammatical errors, and misspelled words. Because we inherently get the point the writer is trying to make. Nothing worth knowing can be taught  (Oscar Wilde) Summary of what The Sense of Style will cover: Prologue Good writing A window onto the world The curse of knowledge The web, the tree, and the string Arcs of coherence Telling right from wrong Examining different types of writing, will inevitably help you become a better writer. Prologue “Style” is the effective use of words to engage the human mind. Style manuals that are innocent of linguistics are crippled in dealing with the aspect of writing that evokes the most emotion: correct and incorrect usage. Orthodox stylebooks are ill-equipped to deal with a fundamental fact about language: it changes over time. Language is not a protocol legislated by an authority but rather an evolving set of tacit standards from the contributions of millions of writers and speakers. Good writing When reading the of people’s whose writing you enjoy whether it pertains to your subject of not will make a you a better writer. There are millions of people who want to sing, and guess who they idolize, other singers. But with writing, and blogging, most people say they want to write or blog but, don’t read either. So where and how would they draw inspiration? A window onto the world You must be able to clearly draw parallels to your world and the readers world. This is where similes and metaphors come into play, good writers and even advertisers have a knack, for getting you to understand complex topics. It doesn’t come from using technical terms it comes from their ability to simplify what you wish to understand. The curse of knowledge Often we get lost in conversation, when asking someone what they do for a living, when they hit us with technical terms. We can often despise people for their professions when we talk to them as well. For example if one person says, “I am an eighth grade algebra teacher…” Chances are they’ve lost your interest. However. If they say,  “I take rambunctious teenagers, and help them understand how algebra applies to their everyday life.” You may actually want to inquire more about how they go about achieving that. The web, the tree, and the string Understanding how to properly string together words is everything. I personally like to look ad how and why I am fascinated by the words of certain commercials. What I mean by this is that the narrator or actors, could be in any other commercial and dealing with a completely different topic, and they would still have my attention. Granted they could just be skilled in their craft, but the words and metaphors used in the script is what draws us in. Arcs of coherence Harmony is key, consider mystery and crime based writing. Sometimes the clues are detailed very early on in the writing and we overlook them. But when its brought to our attention again we are able to fill in the missing pieces. In all genres and forms or writing making sure, that everything is tied together is key. Especially if you want to hold and keep the audience attention, and have them share your work with others. Telling right from wrong (Summary of The Sense of style) While there are writing conventions we should and shouldn’t follow, certain genres can bleed into others and make them worthwhile. You can write with your own style, read others work in the same field, and decide for yourself what writing conventions you want to use. Other books By Steven Pinker My review of  The Blank Slate | Amazon link My review of Enlightenment Now |  Amazon link My review of The Stuff of Thought | Amazon link My review of The language instinct | Amazon link My review of The Better Angels of our nature | Amazon link My review of The sense of style | Amazon link