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The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases

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Robert Hartwell Fiscke has produced two powerful, literary weapons to guard against the growing trend of misspellings, tautologies and clichés as well as hackneyed metaphors, inane expressions and bloated or weak writing: The Dimwit's Dictionary: 5000 Overused Words and Phrases and Alternatives to Them (reviewed elsewhere) and The Dictionary of Concise Writing: 10,000 Alternatives to Wordy Phrases.

The key to good writing, according to Fiske who is also the author and publisher of The Vocabula Review (an online journal about the English language), is concise and precise writing ~ and that's just what he offers with these two excellent reference books.

Like Fiske's other guide, The Dictionary of Concise Writing can be used as a reference when needed or read cover to cover. In fact, reading it like a regular book is a good way to grasp the rudiments of good writing.

It comprises two parts: The first offers a wide range of advice on clear and concise writing, including practical suggestions for trimming the fat from sentences and adding more muscle to your work.

The second part is the dictionary, which presents several thousand common, verbose phrases and offers fresh, concise alternatives and real-world examples of useage.

A point made in the foreword by Dr Richard Lederer sums up the objective of the book: "Cutting the fat is probably the quickest and surest way to improve [your writing]."

The author expands on that point in the first chapter:

"Poor grammar, sloppy syntax, abused words, misspelled words and other infelicities of style impede communication and advance only misunderstanding. But there is another, perhaps less well-known, obstacle to effective communication: too many words.

"We often believe that many words are better than few. Perhaps we imagine that the more we say, the more we know or the more others will think we know, or that the more obscure our writing is, the more profound our thoughts are. Seldom, of course, is this so. Wordiness is arguably the biggest obstacle to clear writing and speaking."

As Fiske says, our language has become bloated with phrases such as 'at this juncture' or worse, 'at this moment in the history of my life' which simply translates as 'now'.

The Dictionary of Concise Writing is a must for any writer - amateur or pro - and anyone else wanting to communicate more effectively. But don't just buy it, keep it handy on your desk. If you're like me ~ you'll be reaching for it sooner than you think.

-- Michael Meanwell, author of the critically-acclaimed 'The Enterprising Writer' and 'Writers on Writing'. For more book reviews and prescriptive articles for writers, visit www.enterprisingwriter.com

"The Dictionary of Concise Writing" is a thorough examination of how to write tight, well-crafted prose. The book begins with a section on "Perfectibility of Words" which defines wordiness and provides various examples of the different types. The following section is "The Imperfectability of People" which discusses the prevalence and acceptance of wordiness in society.

The extensive dictionary actually begins on page 49. Each listed phrase or word combination is followed by suggested substitutions, an example using the "wordy" phrase, and the same example using the correct substitution. If you are wondering if your writing could be more concise or looking for a suggestion for a phrase that just doesn't feel right, or just want to learn better writing skills then this is the book for you. It is the largest and most useful compendium of excessively wordy phrases and practical, workable substitutions that I have had the pleasure of using. A highly recommended purchase for anyone doing any serious writing.

...Any writer worth his or her salt has heard of author Robert Fiske's books, created and designed to help the aspiring, novice and experienced writer alike to hone their craft. In his Dictionary of Concise Writing, Fiske shows not only how to avoid common pitfalls but also how to strive for originality. He is also an expert on one particular handicap of many writers'... the tendency to use redundant or extraneous, excessively wordy phrases in their narrative prose.
This compilation of experience and wisdom is divided into two major parts; the first covers identifying and correcting excessive wordiness, which in itself may take many authors several months to thoroughly peruse. The second part is a collection of the worst of these writers' sins and his remedy to rectify them. Of course, you don't have to take his advice, but it's strongly advised that you do. After all, he's the expert.
And lest this reader/reviewer succumb to the temptation to wax over long praising this neat, fun and easy to read example of terse prose, let me suffice it to say that no writer with any grit should be without this reference.

In "The Dictionary of Concise Writing", Robert Hartwell Fiske battles the veritable plague of excessive wordiness that threatens to make muddled mush of the English language. Well, maybe that's hyperbole. And maybe it's too wordy. In any case, in this book's first two chapters, "The Perfectibility of Words" and "The Imperfectibility of People", Fiske explains how, and hypothesizes as to why, we cloud our speech and writing with so many unnecessary words. The first chapter gives common examples of objectionably wordy sentences organized by part of speech and type of phrase. The second chapter discusses wordiness in business, legalese, journalese, academicspeak and its repercussions. Those chapters are followed by "The Dictionary of Concise Writing", whose 357 pages constitute the bulk of this book. The Dictionary lists common wordy phrases, alphabetically, and suggests more concise alternatives for each one. Every wordy phrase is illustrated with an example sentence and an improved version, in which the phrase has been replaced by something better. Fiske isn't claiming that these wordy phrases should never be used -although I gather that he might say that of some, but that we should express these ideas succinctly whenever it will do the job. Truthfully, writers probably don't notice when they use too many words, so we may not think to look for an alternative in this book. I find "The Dictionary of Concise Writing" most valuable as a reminder. Fiske's examples stick with me and make me more conscious of wordiness while I'm writing, especially of common redundant and overwrought phrases. There is a short interview with the author at the end of the book. Robert Hartwell Fiske is the editor of The Vocabula Review (www.vocabula.com), where you will find further interesting opinions and observations on the English language.

This is an excellent book, and other comments here are more profound than my own thoughts, so I'll just say that I use this (and it's somewhat companion, The Dimwit's Dictionary) with regularity. Whenever I've written something that I think may be verbose, I hastily consult this to see if I've erred. It's truly an indispensable tool.

"...he could hear a sound like rushing steam inside his skull. It was the rush of madness, the incorrigible madness of this place...they had attacked and reduced him to a grisly, spastic, convulsive length of live meat burning in the throes of neurons gone amuck and hauled his shriveled caracus off to some madhouse called the Rubber Room." Quick! Tap the subconscious recesses of your computer-like brain and identify the author. If you pulled up Tom Wolfe, A Man In Full, page 368, you are correct. ##### Just goes to show, I guess, that wordy prose in the hands of a famous writer is still acceptable. (Little wonder that Wolfe writes 700-page books.) Suffice it to say, such over-the-top wordiness submitted to a publisher by an unpublished writer would probably be tossed in the waste basket, quickly, or consigned back to the slush pile. ##### Essentialism venerates humility as its highest virtue. Consequently, when in doubt, it is probably best to adapt the James M. Cain breakout writing fashion dating way back to the 1930s with his The Postman Always Rings Tiwice, Double Indemnity, and Mildred Pierce. Brevity. Simplicity. Faithfully follow Commandment V of the Plot Development Ten Commandments: Thou Shalt Not Hyperbolize. ##### In this regard, The Dictionary of Concise Writing is a precious gem. It is a volume which should be on every book shelf, conveniently accessable as a constant reference by every writer.