How to Read Economist to Improve Writing
5 tips on writing from 'The Economist Style Guide'
A while back, I put together an commodity outlining the v biggest lessons I'd learned from reading Strunk and White's 'The Elements of Way' (yous can read the article here). If you yet haven't read it (the book, not necessarily my article), you're missing out. It's the very definition of a writing bible.
It wasn't until Christmas just gone that I discovered some other bible: The Economist Style Guide.
I read The Economist quite a bit . It's got some keen writing, undoubtedly, and I love the fact that their six rules for writing are taken from George Orwell, a favourite writer of mine.
The best thing about this book, however, is its depth. A third of the volume is dedicated to comparing American and English language language, for case, which is something that, to this mean solar day, is highly contested. There's talks about syntax, vocabulary and even the 'laws of writing', too.
So without further ado, here are five tips on writing from The Economist Style Guide.
ane. Practise your best to exist lucid
I see just one rule: to be clear.
Complicated sentence structures and gimmicks should be kept to a minimum. Good writing is elementary writing. Less is more. Don't be big-headed. Long paragraphs can confuse the reader. This is relevant and expert writing advice. Stick to it.
Equally the book says (and every bit Orwell originally said):
A scrupulous writer in every sentence that (s)he writes will inquire at least iv questions, thus:
What am I trying to say?
What words volition limited it?
What paradigm or idiom will make information technology clearer?
Is this image fresh plenty to take an effect?
And (due south)he will probably ask himself/herself ii more:
Could I put it more than shortly?
Have I said annihilation that is avoidably ugly?
2. Practice non be stuffy
Employ language that you hear in your everyday world. Don't try too difficult to use language that doesn't fit in to your story. Not every lawyer replaces the discussion 'I' with 'one'. Most of them speak in the first person like the rest of u.s.a..
Not every drunk person stumbles their words. In fact, when writing dialogue, subtlety is a crucial element. The author doesn't demand to visibly understand your character is drunk because they're speaking funny. Most drunk people talk simply fine. In the same regard, not every Southern American says 'y'all'.
Unadorned, unfancy prose is all y'all need.
3. Don't exist likewise didactic
If you're starting your sentences with words like 'Consider', 'Imagine', 'Prepare' or 'Look at', yous're writing a schoolhouse textbook, non a story.
Your writing shouldn't teach someone, your story should.
4. Take hold of the attention of the reader
Your lede is everything. That commencement sentence volition help the author decide whether your writing is worth reading. It's a make or break point for most, and many writers first an article with what's chosen 'pious throat clearing'.
For instance:
- 'Digital nomads are a new and emerging species of workers. Iii quarters of digital nomads never travel further than America…'
Cut out that first sentence. It's redundant. Shock the reader with a statistic directly away. It's far more enticing and effective.
- 'Three quarters of digital nomads never travel further than America…'
v. Read through your writing several times
Finally — every bit you'll discover in every writing book you lot'll ever read — read through your own writing several times over.
Edit ruthlessly. Whether that's by cut things out or sharpening things up, editing is the fundamental to skilful writing. Remove anything that is superfluous and don't repeat yourself.
As put in Stephen King'due south 'On Writing', in Strunk and White's 'The Elements of Style' and in this book: keep the story moving.
Only the sharpness of your mind can rescue a ho-hum slice of work.
Thanks for reading. If you liked this piece, there's more to come — exist certain to hitting the follow button and subscribe to The Writing Coop . If yous really liked it, visit my website Callum Precipitous Writes for more.
Source: https://writingcooperative.com/5-tips-on-writing-from-the-economist-style-guide-28a7ff736ade
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