Customer Reviews

Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing (2nd Edition)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a fine book, and I'm surprised it's not better known. More useful than Strunk & White, less intimidating than Joseph Williams, it is the single best book for someone who is looking to improve their writing beyond spelling and grammar. With clear, succinct, and witty chapters on subjects which other books go overboard on -- beginnings, middles, and ends; diction; punctuation; revising and proofreading -- there is no better introduction to the art (beyond the craft) of writing. There are useful tips on usage and superstitions ("never use contractions", "never split an infinitive", etc.) as well as a twenty-five-page collection of quotes from writers about writing. Many of the points which Trimble considers most important are highlighted in boxes separate from the text, so if you're in a hurry and looking for the meat of a chapter, it's easy to find.

This is not a perfect book, though, an it's not intended to be encyclopedic, so you won't find answers to all your questions. The chapter on writing a critical analysis is tantalizingly useless and seems like an afterthought (although it was included in the first edition). The "Quoting" chapter is useful if you're not doing academic writing, but the book seems aimed at an academic audience, and such audiences mostly need to know the details of citing sources through the MLA , APA, or Chicago styles. (On the other hand, Trimble has some interesting tips on using quotes in your writing.)

If you're an experienced writer, you won't find anything new here. That's okay, though. Few of the ideas Trimble explores have ever been stated more clearly or gracefully. What he lacks in depth he makes up for in style, and since many books which are about style are not written with it, it's nice to encounter a text which is so pleasant to read. The best chapter, to my mind, is the first: "Thinking Well". Plenty of books talk about this subject, or pass over it quickly, or allude to it, but I don't know of any which give it the importance it deserves aside from this book, and I've never seen the case stated with, simultaneously, such practicality and eloquence. It is the meeting of those two qualities which makes Trimble's book unique.

Everyone knows about and owns a copy of Strunk and White, but I found this little book by Trimble to be a lot more useful and probably more relevant to writing today.

If I were to teach a writing course (unlikely as it sounds), I'd be sure to have all my students buy a copy of this to supplement their writing practice.

The highlight of this book, I think, is Trimble's comments on style. He has a great chapter on 'Superstitions' of writing. Still think that you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition? Not so. The best response to someone who insists that you should is to tell the short anecdote about Churchill, as Trimble does: "When the prime minister--a Nobel Laureate in literature--found that an editor of his memoirs had had the cheek to 'correct' one of his sentences ending in a preposition, he wrote back, 'This is the kind of impertinence up with which I shall not put.'"

This book was assigned in a graduate-level research methods class in geography. I generallly do not hold much hope for writer's "manuals," but Trimble's slim volume is so much more. His own writing is clear, honest, and pithy. I make all of my senior research students read it now, as a professor, and it's by far the best small treatise on the subject. It could be used side-by-side with Strunk&White's Elements of Style seamlessly. Get it!

As a student of John's, I was amazed by his ability to create an environment where neurotic college students felt completely comfortable sharing their work with very talented peers. As someone who now makes a living stringing words together, I credit him with teaching me to write honestly, conversationally and effectively. Reading his book is a lot like returning to a class: He nurtures, nudges, inspires, excites, and never, ever condescends. And, as always, he's charming as all get-out. I've bought at least half a dozen copies of "Writing with Style"--when I give it to writer friends, I never get it back.

Reading Trimble's style guide changed my writing forever. In this book, Trimble explains the thought process of a good writer, and he makes his point so well that, since reading it, I have permanently conditioned myself to think in way he describes.

This style guide is more an essay on good writing than a reference book. Trimble focuses more on the thought process of a writer than on details. He exhorts us to always consider the audience as we write, and he carefully explains how to do this. He explains the writing process; how to construct the text to best communicate the point. He gives useful advice on common writing tasks like quoting and punctuating.

My favorite chapter is where he debunks some myths about the English language; these myths are arbitrary rules that had been thrust upon us by rigid prescriptive grammarians trying to make English more like Latin.

I first read an older edition of the book for an English class as high school senior about eight years ago. Reading this book made me excited about writing; Trimble writes in such as way that builds interest. I read the book cover to cover and immediately adopted the practices recommended in it. Unfortunately, in high school, they only lent textbooks, so I had to give it back. About eight years later, I repurchased the new edition of this book. Oddly enough, rereading it was kind of a waste of time, for I had learned the lessons well the first time and they had stuck with me. Trimble hadn't just given me good advice; he had permanently changed me.

I recommend that everyone who writes get this book, read it, and do what the book says.

I was fortunate enough to be a student in Dr. Trimble's American Liturature class at the University of Texas in 1989. Before I took his class, my writing was poor and insincere. I did not know how to use my own voice in my work.

After reading his book several times--and finally "getting it", I improved my writing significantly. I am a more successful person because of this book.

Thank you Dr. Trimble.

This book was a required text in a writing class I had as an undergraduate and I actually enjoyed reading it. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I kept my copy instead of selling it back to the bookstore as a used copy at the end of the semester and I've used it for a reference ever since. It often comes in handy when I run up against obstacles in getting a writing project done.

As someone else pointed out, it's not as in depth as some other writing books. It is infinitely more readable and enjoyable, though. I know "enjoyable" is not a word that academics like since there seems to be an attitude of "it's only good if it's painful."

This book shows that good style and enjoyment aren't mutually exclusive. In fact it advises to turn your views and resources to best account to produce writing you'll be proud of. It also gives much more practical and understandable advice for inexperienced writers than anything else I've read.

This book should be a required yearly read for academic writers everywhere. It seems that many have forgotten the reason that they're writing--to communicate effectively--not simply to show off and get a publication under their belt.

Trimble fills his book with concise examples and common sense advice for all writers, paying special attention to crafting good essays. From making your point quickly to backing it up solidly, Trimble shows you how to get the job done right.

Using real-life examples of student essays on the works of Shakespeare, Trimble points out common mistakes and offers suggestions to improve your writing in every area from word choice to grammar tips.

It's the best general guide to writing I've seen, and would especially recommend it to people just starting college--your TA's will thank you.

Based on the good reviews, I turned to this book for succinct advice on writing style. Reading it though, I decided that beyond the basics, good style is really a matter of personal taste. I agreed with some of the author's tastes but not all of them. His criticism of some of the writing proscriptivists especially rings hollow since he's essentially doing the same thing. If he really wanted to make writing more democratic, he wouldn't defend distinctions between words like "who" and "whom," or "that" and "which," or four different types of dashes -distinctions that I think are more about demonstrating education than improving communication.

The problem with developing a conversational writing style is that there are so many types of conversations that you can have. Reading this book is like sitting in on a college-level expository writing class geared towards English majors. It's not a bad book, but as I probably should have known, it doesn't offer any secret writing weapons that aren't already out there. It's another perspective, but overall, I prefer "The Elements of Style" by Strunk and White (For its style and concision), and "Style: Towards Clarity and Grace" by Joseph M. Williams (For its explanation of writing mechanics, if not for its style and length).

"Writing with Style -- Conversations on the Art of Writing" is one of the most useful books on writing I've ever owned. I was introduced to this book as required reading in one of my upper level writing courses, and I still use it today. The book is clear and insightful, with just enough humor sprinkled throughout. I especially liked Trimble's way of debunking school ma'am's myths about grammar.

If you're looking for a helpful tool for teaching writing, "Writing with Style" will surely be a welcomed addition to your library!