Want to be a good writer? Keep it brief, keep it simple, keep it clear. That's the overwhelming message of Essential English, for Journalists, Editors and Writers by Harold Evans.
Other gems from this former Sunday Times Editor include editing out all superfluous & repetitive detail, and getting to the key point first - very important, particularly if you are writing a news story. This has helped me enormously. I used to double-up on all my adjectives, for instance. Why use one when two will do? So before, when I was completely and totally flummoxed, now, I am merely completely flummoxed.
It's a bit of a geeky read but it's making a substantial difference to my writing. That's the mark of any good book: it changes what you do.
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