Friday, September 21, 2012

The Nine Rules of Effective Writing - How Many Do You Break?


1. Do not put statements in the negative form.

2. And don't start sentences with a conjunction.

3. If you reread your work, you will find on rereading that a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.

4. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

5. Unqualified superlatives are the worst of all.

6. De-accession euphemisms.

7. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

8. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

9. Last, but not least, avoid cliches like the plague.

~William Safire, "Great Rules of Writing"
Posted by at
Labels: ,

16 comments:

  1. Heather M BryantSeptember 21, 2012 at 5:53 AM

    Ahk! I'll admit it, I'm a massive failure when it comes to the conjunction. They're just so shiny. And pretty. And fun. Pretty sure I do one, two, and three on an EXTREMELY regular basis. It's so dumb because I can pick them up immediately in other people's writing but not my own. What's with that?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AimeeLSalterSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:03 PM

      I think we're all too close to our own stuff to really see it's flaws easily. But that's the fun of critiquing for each other! :)

      Delete
  2. UnknownSeptember 21, 2012 at 6:18 AM

    Hilarious, and true, and I break them all. It's the fixing I spend my time on. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AimeeLSalterSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:03 PM

      YES! Revisions. Awesome. Editing is my happy place :)

      Delete
  3. Jai JoshiSeptember 21, 2012 at 10:32 AM

    *chuckle*

    I break number 2 all the time.

    Jai

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AimeeLSalterSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:04 PM

      Me too! That was the one that made me *Gulp*. But I use it intentionally a lot...

      Delete
  4. LauraSeptember 21, 2012 at 12:56 PM

    I think the question that separates good writing from bad is "When do you break these and why?" :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AimeeLSalterSeptember 21, 2012 at 1:05 PM

      Yes! I was just saying to EJ that I break number 2 all the time - on purpose. It's how some of my characters talk. But the trick is in making it useful to the reader, rather than just running on the paragraph.

      #YayForEditing

      Delete
  5. chihuahuazeroSeptember 21, 2012 at 4:06 PM

    But I break #2 all the time! :p

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. chihuahuazeroSeptember 21, 2012 at 4:06 PM

      By the way, I was planning to show this post to my English teacher, but there was a substitute today.

      Delete
  6. RWSeptember 21, 2012 at 8:20 PM

    #4 is a perpetual pitfall for me ;-) what can I say - I'm enamored of yummy polysyllabic words. My solution is to create a character within my stories who loves them as much as I do - then the blame falls squarely on his or her shoulders. Right?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Julie@ business plan cover letterSeptember 22, 2012 at 8:19 AM

    Those who think that they will get their desire position with out following cover letter I think it's almost impossible and it's not new in this modern era that a resume with cover letter is essential to apply and get the right position.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jeff HargettSeptember 22, 2012 at 1:15 PM

    Very nicely done!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. The Daring NovelistSeptember 22, 2012 at 2:05 PM

    My favorite of Safire's rules has always been:

    Eschew Obfuscation!

    (I've got a button that says that.)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Cally JacksonSeptember 24, 2012 at 2:47 AM

    Hehehe. Love it! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. ShalleeSeptember 25, 2012 at 9:23 PM

    Ha ha! I start sentences with conjunctions WAY too often, and have to cut them like crazy in edits.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)