This post is a Frank Bruni column from the Times -- a tribute to the best sentences in the press in 2023. Let us all aspire to be on the list next year. It reminds me of a quote I like that comes from the opening chapter of Stanley Fish's book, How to Write a … Continue reading Frank Bruni — The Best Sentences of 2023
When you’re interested in improving your writing, it’s a good idea to have some models to work from. I’ve presented some of my favorite models in this blog. These have included a number of examples of good writing by both academics (Max Weber, E.P. Thompson, Jim March, and Mary Metz) and nonacademics (Frederick Douglass, Elmore Leonard). Today I want to … Continue reading How the King James Bible Shaped the English Language and How It Still Teaches Us How to Write Well
Earlier I posted a piece about mangled metaphors, which focused on the trouble that writers get into when they use a metaphor without taking into account the root comparison that is embedded within it. Example: talking about "the doctrine set forth in Roe v. Wade and its progeny” -- an aborted metaphor if there ever … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #9: The Poetry of Everyday Life
The introduction to a paper is critically important. This is where you try to draw in readers, tell them what you're going to address, and show why this issue is important. It's also a place to show a little style, demonstrating that you're going to take readers on a fun ride. Below are two exemplary … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #8: Getting Off to a Fast Start
The art of writing ultimately comes down to the art of writing sentences. In his lovely book, How to Write a Sentence, Stanley Fish explains that the heart of any sentence is not its content but its form. The form is what defines the logical relationship between the various elements within the sentence. The same … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #7: Writing the Perfect Sentence
Metaphor is an indispensable tool for the writer. It carries out an essential function by connecting what you're talking about with other related issues that the reader already recognizes. This provides a comparative perspective, which gives a richer context for the issue at hand. Metaphor also introduces a playful characterization of the issue by making … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #6: Mangling Metaphors
Many people have complained that academic writers are addicted to the passive voice, doing anything to avoid using the first person: "Data were gathered." I wonder who did that? But in some ways a bigger problem is that we refuse to use the kind of dynamic verbs that can energize our stories and drive the … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #5: Failing to Use Dynamic Verbs
All too often, academic writing is tone deaf to the music of language. Just as we tend to consider unprofessional any writing that is playful, engaging, funny, or moving, so too with writing that is musical. A professional monotone is the scholar's voice of choice. This stance leads to two big problems. One is that … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #4: Failing to Listen for the Music
Good writers tell stories. This is just as true for academic writers as for novelists and journalists. The story needs actors and actions, and it needs to flow. A sentence is a mini-story. Each sentence needs to flow into the next and so does each paragraph. When readers finish your paper, they need to be … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #3: Failing to Tell a Story
One of the most prominent and dysfunctional traits of academic writing is its heavy reliance on what Helen Sword, in the piece below, calls "zombie nouns." These are cases when the writer takes an agile verb or adjective and transforms it into an imposing-looking noun with lead feet. Just add the proper suffix to a … Continue reading Academic Writing Issues #2: Zombie Nouns
