Three new ways to approach classic writing wisdom
After 50 years on writers’ bookshelves, Elements of Style — aka “Strunk and White” — still offers perhaps the best collection of techniques for compressing copy:
- Use the active voice.
- Put statements in positive form.
- Avoid a succession of loose sentences.
- Express coordinate ideas in similar form.
- Keep related words together.
- In summaries, keep to one tense.
And, most famously:
- Omit needless words.
So how can you omit needless words?
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In the crunch of writing headlines and meeting deadlines, it sometimes seems as if there’s not enough time to pause and consider how you’re doing. But in our practice sessions, you’ll get a great opportunity for reflection and improvement.
Bring your laptop and a story to work on. We’ll give you a chance to write and rewrite, get and give feedback, and leave with a totally rewritten piece.
At Cut Through the Clutter — our two-day tight-writing master class on April 6-7 in Washington, D.C., and on Aug. 17-18 in San Francisco — you’ll learn:
Specifically, you’ll learn how to:
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- Learn to analyze and improve others’ writing — the best skill you can develop for editing others or improving your own work
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