News FeedWriting With Style
Book Title: Writing With Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing Book Author: John R. Trimble Book Publisher: Prentice-Hall (1975) Date Read: June 19, 2009 Nonfiction / 143 pages Writing With Style was the 9th book I read in 2009.Why I read Writing With Style:
This was the second of two books on writing style that Peggy, a professor of English from Nevada sent for me to read. I met Peggy through a written correspondence that her husband, Steve, made possible. Peggy has helped me by reviewing chapters of my manuscript, Earning Freedom, as well as another chapter I wrote for a corrections book. Her comments helped me strengthen the work, and I read these books on style she sent because I hoped they would help me improve my writing skills.
What I learned from reading Writing With Style:
Although many technical rules govern the craft of writing, style helps writing flow more smoothly. I learn from reading authors critically, by considering choices in punctuation, paragraphing, cadence, word choice, sentence lengths, and other decisions writers make in expressing their ideas. This book offered suggestions that may help my writing come across more smoothly, at least that’s what I’m hoping.
Reading books like Writing With Style and Style make me more conscious of rules that govern writing. They also reaffirm my thoughts about writing – that writing is work, a job that requires many hours. I enjoy the work of writing , as I find it a creative and a fulfilling use of my time. Writing helps me think more clearly.
How reading Writing With Style will help me upon release:
Writing With Style adds to my continuing education on improving my communication skills. While living in prison, I’ve found that developing communication skills requires a constant effort, as the rules of confinement separate us from society in many ways. Without effort, a prisoner loses his communication skills over time. His vocabulary becomes polluted with profanity and vulgar expressions. By studying books on English, however, prisoners can improve their eloquence and skills at persuasion. This book has helped my ongoing efforts to improve my communication skills.
