Comments on: How to Write Better Sentences, Better Paragraphs, Better Everything!

By: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 16:29:02 +0000

Thanks for your comments – I’m glad this article on writing better sentences was helpful!

Interesting, Tim, about the “stupid grammar advice.” I agree that being a good writer is about breaking rules…but it’s important to stick to the rules that make your writing easy to read.

By: kenneth james Alarcon

kenneth james Alarcon — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 04:57:38 +0000

This is a great find for me. I am freelance writer and I always find some ways to make my writing skills improve. I’m glad I found this article and thank you for posting it.

By: Tim Mantyla

Tim Mantyla — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:27:47 +0000

You write:
“1. Regularly review the basic anatomy of a sentence. I won’t go into the nitty gritty grammar and sentence structure details here (that’s what books like Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style are for! And Grade 8 English class)…I read Strunk & White every few months, just to keep the elements of style and good writing at the forefront of my mind.”

I’ve referred to it a few times, too…until I read an opposing view: “50 Years of Stupid Grammar Advice” by Geoffrey K. Pullum at
http://chronicle.com/article/50-Years-of-Stupid-Grammar/25497

Uncounted students, grammarians, teachers, writers and editors have been hoodwinked by Strunk and White for over 50 years, it seems. While S & W are clearly skilled in other areas, Pullum calls them “grammatical incompetents”–and proves it by revealing (among other gems) how the authors break the so-called rules over and over again in their own book.

To write well, they must break rules. Arbitrary rules–often cooked up by self-appointed fuddy-duddies seeking glory and prestige as experts–can cripple prose that might otherwise pierce, excite, perturb or sway. Or they often don’t make sense, if you consider usage as the final word (intended!) in a living, growing language.

“50 Years…” is a fun read. It begins:
“April 16 is the 50th anniversary of the publication of a little book that is loved and admired throughout American academe. Celebrations, readings, and toasts are being held, and a commemorative edition has been released.

I won’t be celebrating…”

By: 5 Tips for Writing More, Writing Better. Cultivating a laser-beam focus | We Blog The World

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 06:17:56 +0000

[...] — in a bad way! As Mann asks: “What are you not working on during that time?” (you’re not writing more or writing better, that’s for [...]

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The Biggest Mistake Writers Make? 5 Tips for Writing More, Writing Better — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 22:42:42 +0000

[...] a bad way! As Mann asks: “What are you not working on during that time?” (you’re not writing more or writing better, that’s for [...]

By: Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:56:53 +0000

Hello, hello, hello!

Ryan ~ Thanks for taking the time to comment, and I wish you all the best with your novel. I couldn’t write fiction, I don’t think. I have so much admiration for fiction writers.

George ~ Good sentences are definitely the foundation of an article, book, or blog post. No shoddy sentences for us! It’s hard though.

Gini ~ GREAT idea, to edit each other! That’s what we should be doing in our writers’ group….scrutinizing bad writing, good writing, and our own writing (which is probably somewhere between good and bad). Learning together to write better sentences.

By: Gini Grey

Gini Grey — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:23:07 +0000

Laurie – I’m giggling at the image of appreciating a fine cigar! Reading other articles and books from a scrutinizing point of view has helped me be a better writer. But what has really helped me is having my work edited (which I haven’t done much of and would like to do more). I can then see how a particular sentence can be crafted better by example.So if you ever want to play with editing each other’s articles one day, let me know as I’m game.

Gini

By: George Angus

George Angus — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 03:18:19 +0000

Laurie,

Absolutely mah-velous.

A house built on a shoddy foundation cannot stand. I know my english isn’t perfect (heaven help me if it ever reaches that point). I’ve been blessed with a naturally active voice and I’m sure this has saved me mucho heartache in the past.

Thanks for the great tips.

George

By: Ryan Fortney

Ryan Fortney — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:02:30 +0000

I don’t really know if I could be considered a “good” writer but, so far, I’ve learned what I know from, well, reading.

By visiting blogs, much like this one.

By scrutinizing everything I see and figuring out why I’d done that in the first place.

Basically, everything in this article is true. I read through it and realized I had already been doing all of this. Although, the writing tips could help. In the novel I’m writing, I constantly re-read sentences that I write, over and over and I’m absolutely sure it’s going to take a lot more polishing.

So, what helped me? Everything mentioned here!