Write Well by Reading Well. My Favorite Texts.
I’m still on my kick of moving our writing from very good to great through a three-part series on how do we improve our written word? (You can click here and here for the first two articles.) This week, I’m sharing a handful of my personal favorite texts I’ve enjoyed learning from — and still consult today in hopes you’ll find a new resource to draw from when and if you’re wanting to refine this craft.
Favorite Book on Punctuation: Eats, Shoots and Leaves. The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
In this witty, punchy resource on grammar how-to’s and a compelling case for why we ought to punctuate correctly, former editor Lynne Truss scores a 10/10 with me. Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes fame) writes a historical narrative-like forward and then Truss brings us on a lovely journey looking at commas, semicolons, apostrophes, etc. Truss shares the folly in over-using the exclamation mark and debate around the semicolon. We also receive historical examples of catastrophes when punctuation runs amok. Add this book to your shelf for an enjoyable resource on punctuation written in a fun, endearing way.
Favorite Book on The Mechanics of Writing: The Elements of Style
The best way I learned about the mechanics of writing — by that I mean the structure, order, and flow — really came from writing a lot of copy, and having a well-structured article beside me as I wrote. But every writer needs a solid text on the mechanics of good writing and E.B. White and William Strunk Jr.’s scored a full ten with me.
This classic style manual, now on its fourth edition, covers the elementary rules of usage for everything from the possessive singular of nouns by adding ‘s, to enclosing parenthetic expressions between commas (which adds lovely sentence variety, by the way) to avoiding joining independent clauses with a comma, which confuses and loses your audience.
My favorite section, the Elementary Principles of Composition, has premium advice on how to hold your paragraph together, use active vs. passive voice, omit needless words, and use specific, concrete language — a lovely way to move vague to definite, the abstract to concrete. So many gems! Another solid book on constructing effective paragraphs comes from William Zinnser, On Writing Well, The Classic Guide to Nonfiction with over a million copies sold provides another well-loved guide for writing on places, business, sports, or even yourself in memoir.
Favorite Book on Profile Writing: The Economist Book of Obituaries
Cringe not. The Economist’s collection of 200 obituaries the magazine published between 1995 and 2008 offers 1,000 word or so obituaries written by Keith Colquhoun and Ann Wroe. (I’ve had the pleasure of writing for Wroe years ago when covering social struggles for several U.S. states. We even picnicked once in London!) No true template exists for the subjects; but if you read the obituary section for the Economist regularly, as I do, you’ll notice masterful strengths including:
- Narrative thread which starts from the opening sentence and weaves in and out of the obituary — even through to the final sentence.
- Cherry-picked details aligned with that thread. Short quotes.
- Everyday words used in surprising, delightful ways.
- Fascinating social, historical, even business context through which the subject lived their lives.
When I’m stuck on how to start a profile on a prominent or important subject or even a narrative lead for a feature, reading a few obituaries from this text or this week’s Economist edition unlocks me.
Favorite Book on The Process of Writing: Bird by Bird. Some Instructions on Writing and Life
Anne Lamott’s delightful book on the need for routine and structure in writing came to me via a recommended text at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism where I gathered my master’s degree in journalism. While years have passed since I read Bird by Bird, I still quote the wisdom to fellow writers often and they in turn quote it to me as a way to reset, prioritize, and center.
Lamott’s witty and heartfelt book on how she relates to writing and tackles her craft starts with a lovely story. Her older brother, aged 10 at the time, procrastinated writing a report on birds for the same reasons most communicators struggle: sheer overwhelm on such a broad topic. Lamott’s dad, also a writer, saw his son immobilized by the huge task ahead and offered, “Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.”
I chose to share a handful of my favorite writing books this week as many executives often ask me, how do we become better writers? Having tried-and-tested writing texts can only help. At the end of this three-part series on writing well, a topic I’ll surely visit again, I’d add wisdom from my favorite podcaster, Marion Roach, who’s weekly podcast Qwerty interviews writers to learn more about their craft and approach. Roach reminds us that the best way to learn to write is write. Start with a carefully written email, daily journaling, or even a chapter of a memoir. Start there. Feel fearless. And don’t mind getting a little messy.
Debbi Gardiner McCullough coaches and trains immigrant leaders to become more confident, concise, and mentally fit communicators. From Wisconsin, she owns and runs Hanging Rock Coaching and serves as a communication effectiveness fellow coach to leaders all over the globe with BetterUp.