Tuesday Tip #85: Consider Style

Since we're talking about style, we couldn't leave out the classic The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. If you're interested in improving your writing, this is THE book. It's reader friendly, and easy to jump from section to section.

Why is it a staple in the world of writing?

1) It's all about clean, accurate prose. In this book, there's no room for fluff.

2) It's short! The original publication was a 43-page pamphlet detailing the main rules and principles of writing in English.

3) Dorothy Parker was quoted for saying, "If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second greatest favour you can do them is to present them with copies of The Elements of Style."

As we said in today's #tuesdaytips post, style is about content. It's the how in writing. For example, a financial report will benefit from brief, clear statements. The focus should be on the numbers, not on paragraphs of text with complex sentences. However, a press release will be a mix of short and long sentences in an attempt to get across key information while also representing a brand and/or product.

Curious about the nuances to style? Check out Strunk's book (available on Amazon) for a breakdown of the key elements.