Customer Reviews

How to Write

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I had the great good fortune of studying with scholar and poet Alastair Fowler, and of experiencing this book when he offered aspects of it as a talk for graduate students. As soon as I learned it was a book I bought it. His insights are fresh and energizing, and he truly inspires one to write and to feel confident about it. Someone here suggested it's only for beginners, but I think that's balderdash (and I write for a living). Dr. Fowler's use of language may be (perhaps deceptively) clear, but his ideas have underpinned many a successful doctoral dissertation and well-written scholarly book.

This book is fighting in a weight class many times higher than one its dimunitive size would have you believe. And it is magnificent! It's a treasure trove of information and written with such clarity and common sense that it's a constant companion--whenever I have a few idle minutes, I bring this out and sample yet another chapter of ooey-gooey goodness, candy bar-like.
Only, it's definitely not empty calories, this is writing nutrition. The examples Fowler uses (sometimes in the form of simple quotes and other times by excerpts from great books and authors; I particularly enjoyed Churchill's) are just right and enlightening. I don't think there's a single page to which a reader can open at random that doesn't contain something tremendously informative. In fact, I'm going to try it now:

Page 158 (Chapter on Correctness)
These are proscribed and listed together with inoffensive, temporarily acceptable alternatives in sizeable dictionaries. For example, any word must be avoided that could imply an ancillary role for women: waitress, actress, etc. Instead, asexual designation like waitron are proposed; and wimmin or wymmyn replaces women (wo-men) for those who repudiate men altogether. But such usages (herstory for history is another) fail to engage with language in a serious way: it can't be altered lastingly at the behest of individuals. Unfortunately these most interested in changing the language are also those least interested in etymology. So niggardly (grudging) is condemned because of an imagined association with nigger.

Righto! He goes on to tackle the PC movement and its many loathsome euphemisms, in the tradition of Orwell's 'Politics and the English language' essay. It's simply good all around and in such a small book! I can't think of single thing detrimental thing I can say about 'How to Write' except maybe to wish it were longer. Highest recommendation.

Fowler's "How to Write" offers good advice; it deserves a spot on your shelf of writing books. Readers weary of condescending books by "language pundits" will appreciate this warm, open-minded book.

A good book by a very erudite scholar. More suitable for novice writers than for veterans.