Eats, shoots and leaves
This bestseller from 2004 become an instant success. Almost everyone has a copy of the book by Lynne Truss at home or at work, but did they ever read it? Find out who dared give it a savage review, and why.

The Economist style guide
Does the team from the Economist deliver the same level of in-depth analysis in this book on English style as it does in the leading weekly?

The Cambridge encyclopedia of the English language
It may be thick, but just how well does this all-encompassing book on everything do do with the English language really stack up?

How to Improve Your Written English – Part One

When I was a teenager I discovered the books by Tom Clancy, the inventor of the so-called “techno-thriller”. As a young man his books had all the right ingredients that made for what I considered to a good book: spies, secrets, gadgets, military stuff, soldiers and, above all, great plotlines to keep me hooked. I wanted to be a great writer like him. His ability to write bestsellers was beyond question. The logical conclusion was that he must be doing something right, so I looked closer at his writing and began copying his style.

Now, forgive me anyone who is already groaning at the thought of this, but there is a point to this confession. His books aren’t exactly of the type that is considered to be great writing or great literature, but during the late 1980s and 1990s he was outselling John Grisham , Stephen King, Danielle Steel and Anne Rice.  He may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but hear me out.

Love him or hate him, Tom Clancy made me want to write and be a writer. I thank him for that, but I also blame him for making me a bad writer. I don’t hold it against him, but copying his writing style eventually taught me a valuable lesson: writing does not get better the longer and more complicated the sentence. The bestselling author, or writer slash computer-game maker, famous for writing about military themes, famously writes long, convoluted sentences, with lots of clauses, and always writes sentences that fill perhaps a dozen lines on the page and lots and lots and lots of commas, so I swore an oath of fealty to his books.  Do you see what I did? I wrote 45 words, used 7 commas and include several clauses. Do you know what fealty means? Did I use it in the right context? That is not an example of good writing.

So what is good writing? Well, that’s a matter of opinion that will be debated for as long as man (sorry ladies) walks the Earth. But let’s instead take a look at what it’s most definitely not.

First, some people are of the opinion, like I used to be, that a good writer most use long sentences; the longer the better, is the old mantra. It isn’t necessarily so. Academics are famous for competing with each other over who can write articles the most incomprehensively. The thinking goes: if I write something that someone can’t understand, and I do, then that is what makes me a great writer. But who are you writing for? Yourself?

Second, some people think that to be a good writer you have to use lots of “big” words, words that makes your reader put down your writing and run for the dictionary in shame because you know more words than they do. The best writers don't use words that makes their readers feel ashamed. If you only speak English, then I already know many more words than you do because I speak several languages. But what is the point if I change language? You won’t understand me. The same is true with writing. Know who you are writing for and use language that they will understand. Too many people who make a point of using strange words in their writing usually end up using them in the wrong way. Like any sport, stick to the moves you know best.

Third, and this is true of the literature fans out there, some think that good writing means going strong on the adjectives (words that describe things), using lots of flowery metaphors and soaking your text in abstract observations is what really makes good writing. How, exactly, does that apply to writing a press release? How does that work with a job application? How will it improve your essay/paper?

It is safe to assume that you want people to do two things with your writing: read it and like it. That should be the real aim of every good writer. The best words of advice from me are: stick to what you know; write about what you know; and don’t listen to people who suggest you do any of the above, unless you are trying to impress a literary critic. There is a difference between good writing, good literature and a good book. Tom Clancy is proof of that.

Coming soon: Read Part Two of How to improve your written English, where I go into more detail some more specific ways to clean up your writing, thus making it better.