We can always learn from the masters, today we have tips from Strunk & White.
William Strunk Jr. privately printed The Elements of Style for his students, a classic on the art of writing good prose, which E.B. White, once a student of Strunk, then tweaked for publication. Aside from this little gem, E.B. White is also known for essays Here in New York and Once More to the Lake, and children’s books Charlotte’s Web and Trumpet of the Swan. Although a slender book, Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style include great tips for any writer.
Strunk & White’s 11 Elementary Principles of Composition
1. Choose a suitable design and stick to it.
2. Make the paragraph the unit of composition.
3. Use the active voice.
4. Put statements in positive form.
5. Use definite, specific, concrete language.
6. Omit needless words.
7. Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
8. Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
9. Keep related words together.
10. In summaries, keep to one tense.
11. Place the emphatic words of a sentence at the end.
Who do you look to for writing tips?
– Nahuel F.A.
