Write to Express, Not to Impress

https://twitter.com/meseali/status/1288100672504832006

by mese848 • 6 years ago

1 1 6 years ago

zimpenfish• 6 years ago

Eh, it's basically Strunk & White in tweet thread form and we know how professional grammarians and linguists view that (extremely poorly.)

First one out of the gate has a terrible example:

NO: The child cried loudly. YES: The child screamed.

There's a significant difference between those two actions.

#3 is the classic "Avoid the passive voice".

#8 has another terrible example:

NO: I made a decision to exercise daily. YES: I decided to exercise daily.

"I made a decision" gives the impression of a process that ended in the decision - perhaps after contemplation of a midriff that's expanded beyond existing clothes.

"I decided" is just "bang decision" with no context. It gives you no feeling for what's happening.

#9 is the also classic "Cut wordy phrases".

#12 is another terrible example:

NO: The living room lacks sunlight. YES: The living room is dark.

The first one gives texture - perhaps it faces north or the windows are boarded up or the curtains are permanently drawn or the resident is a vampire. The second is just a stark boring factual that you'd get from a child's writing. "The living room is dark. The light is broken. The family have not fixed the light."

Write to Express, Not to Impress

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