Short Comment on Writing

It’s the birthday of E. B. White (pictured), best known for his masterpiece for children Charlotte’s Web, and for his nonfiction collaborative work with William Strunk, Jr. published in 1918: The Elements of Style.

Often referred to as “Strunk and White,” The Elements of Style provides the hard-and-fast rules of English grammar, as well as numerous pieces of writing advice, perhaps the most enduring of which is “omit needless words.”

White also recommends:

“Do not affect a breezy style; use orthodox spelling; do not explain too much; avoid fancy words; do not take shortcuts at the cost of clarity; prefer the standard to the offbeat; make sure the reader knows who is speaking; do not use dialect; revise and rewrite.”

I think about that comment on “fancy words” often. Though I’m sure I come off as pompous at times, I try to use what I think is the right word for the occasion, even if some will deem it “fancy.” To do otherwise is to condescend to the reader.

I love the command: “revise and rewrite.” I know there are some articulate people whose command of the written language is just as effortless as their facility with the spoken word. I wish I were one of them, but I’m most definitely not.