| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Media Issues > Topic: Writing??? |
Topic: Writing???
| Author | Message |
| MLA_Chick85 | Posted – 7/8/2008 12:21:57 AM | show profile I want to focus on improving my grammar/writing skills before applying to jobs again. So can someone recommend a great book (besides the elements of style because it's outdated) that would help my writing become clearer because I have a bit of a hard time expressing my ideas. This is the only MAJOR problem I have in regards to writing and journalism (besides not being able to find a job). |
| Marie | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:27:32 AM | show profile I don't see how you can say the Elements of Style is outdated. I suggest your read it again. Study all the prose traps and the unclear language and jargon it tells you how to avoid. Yes, the content of the examples might seem old-fashioned to you, but not the principles behind the examples. |
| Marie | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:30:44 AM | show profile It's hard to recommend one book. You can start by just reading good writing. George Orwell has written eleoquently on the English language. You might like "On Writing Well" by William Zinsser (spelling is probably off). But again, if you dismiss the Elements of Style, I'm not sure what to recommend. There's not one magic book that's going to make you a clear writer overnight, except maybe The Elements of Style... |
| writesonwater | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:43:06 AM | show profile If you're doing journalism, you're not so much expressing your ideas as you are expressing those of others, and compiling related facts. Are you struggling to express YOUR ideas, or just struggling to write? Did you graduate with some sort of English or journalism degree? If not, you may need to pursue more education, even just a few classes. If you have the education and you're still stuck getting started, take a major newspaper's section fronts (1A and metro cover, for example) apart. Notice how the stories are constructed, and work on mastering that. Apply yourself to this in a disciplined way; assuming you have some journalism education background, this may be very, very helpful. Studying inferior work will not be that helpful. |
| mkelly | Posted – 7/8/2008 8:11:54 AM | show profile First, as others have said, if you believe 'The Elements of Style' is outdated, then I'm not sure anything else can be of much help to you. My 4th Edition was published in 2000, and besides, good writing rules don't get outdated any more than 2+2=4 goes out of style. Other than EoS, you should also have on your shelf... 'Associated Press Guide to Newswriting,' by Rene Capon; 'Woe Is I,' by Patricia O'Conner; 'Writing Tools',' by Roy Peter Clark. And for kicks, read 'The Spike' by George Orwell, and all my previous posts on this board. (I'm still working to publish a collected volume.) |
| SeeKatyWrite | Posted – 7/8/2008 12:03:19 PM | show profile | email poster I agree that making a habit of reading good writing goes a lot way in helping you define your technique and know what works -- and what doesn't. I suggest annual anthologies of magazine feature writing and other types of writing, depending on your interests and intended career path. They're easy to find at any bookstore or online. ------ ----- katy ryan editor | freelance writer | blogger www.KatyWrites.com |
| m.m.m. | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:17:04 PM | show profile I'm always looking to improve my writing. As I result, I've looked for and bought several books on the subject. I agree with the previous posters that you should not dismiss Elements of Style. That said, the best book I have read on writing is Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing by John R. Trimble. It is more than 25 years old, but you would be very well served by reading it. It is remarkably current, and perhaps its best aspect is that it is written using the rules it expounds. It's also relatively short: You can get through it over the course of a weekend. |
| Village Gal | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:35:07 PM | show profile The Elements of Style is NOT outdated. When I teach essay writing, I always make a list of the common errors I see popping up in the papers. I discuss these with the class. Guess what? Eveything on list (and lots more) is mentioned in The Elements of Style. I also recommend William Zinsser's On Writing Well. |
| foodlit | Posted – 7/8/2008 1:55:22 PM | show profile Elements of Style is a gem of a book. Why on earth do you think it's outdated? It's not. |
| Metro Writer | Posted – 7/8/2008 2:43:06 PM | show profile Sorry to admit this, but I think The Elements of Style is boring. Some 10 years ago Karen Gordon came out with a series of boosk on grammar and punctuation called The Transitive Vampire: A Guide for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed. Another really good book is Stein on Writing by Sol Stein. As for writing more clearly, think first about what you want to say. What are the most pertinent points? What do readers need to know that they haven't already read? What is your angle? |
| chucho | Posted – 7/8/2008 2:51:45 PM | show profile Hmmmm, yeah, I think I must agree. Strunk & White is pretty much a good read because it's timeless. And grammar rules are not something to fall out of fashion very quickly -- they're not Uggs or emo haircuts :) |
| Marie | Posted – 7/8/2008 2:58:50 PM | show profile I've always found it an amusing read. It's more than style and grammar--it's the route toward clear expression. But the the AP book by Capon is good too for newswriting. Go to your local B&B and peruse the Writing section. See what grabs you. |
| westsidestory | Posted – 7/8/2008 4:05:12 PM | show profile THE TRANSITIVE VAMPIRE is a refreshing take on grammar, but I found it distracted me...still love ELEMENTS. ON WRITING WELL, the Zinzzer book (again my spelling may be off also) is one I constantly recommend as a writing tool. The section on beating writer's block alone is worth the price. |
| rochelle, rochelle | Posted – 7/9/2008 2:07:41 AM | show profile My go-to book, hands down, is Theodore Bernstein's The Careful Writer. The last time I checked, it was out of print, but you can usually pick up a copy online or at a used-book store. The book is easy to navigate and answers a lot of those niggling little questions that are so difficult to resolve, such as when do you use continually rather than continuously. |
| Village Gal | Posted – 7/9/2008 9:43:32 AM | show profile The Elements of Styles is boring? LOL. It's a style guide, not a novel. |
| mkelly | Posted – 7/9/2008 1:50:31 PM | show profile I'm going to add one more recommendation: 'Being Logical,' by D.Q. McInerny. He tries to pass of the book as the same sort of concise overview of logic that EoS fulfills for writing, and he succeeds. It's not about writing per se, but no amount of clear writing will overcome any amount of bad thinking. |
| rhino writer | Posted – 7/9/2008 2:23:35 PM | show profile If you want to improve your grammar skills, try taking an adult ed writing class -- many focus on grammar specifically. |
| DCAflyer | Posted – 7/21/2008 3:17:24 AM | show profile idiot's guide for dummies idiot's guide for dummies or soemthing like that |
| leprechaunsy | Posted – 7/21/2008 3:45:37 PM | show profile When Words Collide ... Required reading at Medill during my years there. It's an excellent book that addresses both grammar and style. |
