Skip to main content

How to write good.....



















#FrankLVisco #HowToWriteGood #WilliamSafire #Writing


How To Write Good (by Frank L. Visco and William Safire)


These two sets of rules about writing are engrossing. Do take a look!

The first set of rules was written by Frank L. Visco and originally published in the June 1986 issue of Writers' digest. It is available online at Plain Language.

My several years in the word game have learnt me several rules:
1. Avoid Alliteration. Always.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They’re old hat.)

4. Employ the vernacular.

5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.

7. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

8. Contractions aren't necessary.

9. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

10. One should never generalize.

11. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “I hate quotations. Tell me what you know.”

12. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.

13. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.

14. Profanity sucks.

15. Be more or less specific.

16. Understatement is always best.

17. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

18. One word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

20. The passive voice is to be avoided.

21. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

22. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
23. Who needs rhetorical questions?

This second set of rules is derived from William Safire's Rules for Writers.

1. Parenthetical words however must be enclosed in commas.

2. It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.

3. Avoid archaeic spellings too.

4. Don't repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.

5. Don't use commas, that, are not, necessary.

6. Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively.

7. Never use a big word when a diminutive alternative would suffice.

8. Subject and verb always has to agree.

9. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.

10. Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispeling and to catch typograhpical errers.

11. Don't repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.

12. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.

13. Don't never use no double negatives.

14. Poofread carefully to see if you any words out.

15. Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

16. Eschew obfuscation.

17. No sentence fragments.

18. Don't indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.

19. A writer must not shift your point of view.

20. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!

21. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.

22. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.

23. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.

24. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.

25. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.

26. Always pick on the correct idiom.

27. The adverb always follows the verb.

28. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors.

29. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.


30. And always be sure to finish what


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

L.A. will rename Rodeo Road as Obama Boulevard in tribute to former president

The Los Angeles City Council voted to rename Rodeo Road as Obama Boulevard in honor of former President Obama, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced in a tweet Tuesday night. “We’re thrilled that Angelenos and visitors will forever be reminded of the legacy of President @BarackObama when traveling across L.A.,” he said in the tweet. City Council President Herb Wesson  proposed the name change in June 2017. Los Angeles is renaming Rodeo Rd. to Obama Boulevard in honor of former president Barack Obama. pic.twitter.com/UwzXxU6tHA — AJ+ (@ajplus) August 29, 2018 Not to be confused with the upscale Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Rodeo Road is a 3.5-mile street that runs from near the Culver City border east to Mid-City. In his proposal, Wesson  noted that  Obama held a campaign rally at Rancho Cienega Park on Rodeo Road when running for president and that the area already has streets named after presidents, such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. It’s offic...

FLIGHT FACILITIES (Hugo) b2b TOUCH SENSITIVE in The Lab

#Deep_house #HouseMusic #HouseGrooves #Melodic #Electronic #djset #FlightFacilities #TouchSensitive An immaculate selection of disco and killer house grooves by Hugo (Flight Facilities) and Touch Sensitive. website: http://www.flightfacilities.com Youtube http://smarturl.it/SubscribeFF Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/flightfacilities Twitter: http://twitter.com/flightfac Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/flightfacilities Instagram: http://instagram.com/flightfac

Nordstrom selling taped-up sneakers for $530

It may be a shoe that shoe lovers have a hard time adding to their collection. Nordstrom is selling the Golden Goose sneakers dubbed the "Superstar Taped Sneaker."  They are new, but look like they are falling apart with dirt and tape already on them. And they are being sold for $530!  "Crumply, hold-it-all-together tape details a distressed leather sneaker in a retro low profile with a signature sidewall star and a grungy rubber cupsole," the description reads. If you were interested in purchasing them (were you?), they are sold out on the  Nordstrom website . abc7.com  - September 21st, 2018