Let’s take a book of a completely different genre, contrary to what people usually do for today’s review. Any guesses?
Here is a sneak peek into the book which we’re going to review today:
Title: The Elements of Style
Author: William Strunk Jr. (E.B White’s name is often associated with this book)
Genre: Academic, Writing and Self-help
Publisher: Fingerprint Publishing
Pages: 106
Price: 99/- Grab a copy from here. (amazon)
I have been in search of something like this since the time the first-year students asked me to recommend a book to improve their writing skills. The first was obviously Norman Lewis’s Word Power Made Easy, and the second, I feel is it. The disclaimer, however, I often mention to my students is that ‘writing’ is synonymous with ‘life’; the more you live, the more experience you gain. Similarly, the more you write the better your writing becomes.
I came to know about this book while reading a collection of plays by Gurucharan Das, where, he mentions that he learnt the skill of writing through it. The book starts with a brief biography of the author and elucidates the tips and tricks for enhancing writing skills through six chapters besides an exercise. The chapters are;
The book starts with the basic rules related to punctuation and then moves toward the structure of writing a commentary on poems or prose. After that, the chapters mostly emphasize the art of composing concise, crisp and impactful sentences. What makes this book interesting is that it not only lists the rules but also supplements it with the examples related- both before and after the application of that particular rule, that too, side by side, thus encouraging comparative analysis. The book, I believe, isn’t only to be read but rather needed to work with. It’s advisable to read some 5-7 pages daily, followed by applying it in your writing. The book mentions ample Do’s and Don’ts which if followed, can keep a check on composing redundant sentences. The exercise provided at the end helps in evaluating your progress.
Though the book is structured perfectly well, sometimes, it delves into technicalities consisting of grammatical terms, which at this stage are difficult to remember. Moreover, it’s not possible to master all the rules while practising creative writing as it always demands some sort of liberty. Over time, we usually develop a style of writing that is unique to us. Changing it in a couple of days or weeks only by reading isn’t a cakewalk.
Nonetheless, I feel that the book is quite helpful for beginners, besides those who are in the intermediate and advanced stages of writing. The former can structure their writing according to the rules and with time, they can master it. The latter can evaluate themselves about what they’ve been doing inappropriately and eventually, it’ll help them in improvising their writing.
P.S: Revisit this post after reading the book and let me the rules I missed.
©Shashank
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