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When Good People Write Bad Sentences: 12 Steps to Better Writing Habits
A smart, practical and clever guide to improving writing skills (on the job and anywhere else)--ingeniously couched in a self-help parody to entertain as it instructs.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 14, 2004
6 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Robert W. Harris
35 books2 followersLibrarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert W. Harris earned degrees in art and cognitive psychology and then worked as a teacher for ten years. Since 1990, he has authored a dozen books, including When Good People Write Bad Sentences (St. Martin’s Press).
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Robert W. Harris earned degrees in art and cognitive psychology and then worked as a teacher for ten years. Since 1990, he has authored a dozen books, including When Good People Write Bad Sentences (St. Martin’s Press).
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 4, 2022
Healed my inner child writer.
February 9, 2017
"Did you hear about the guy who worried so much about punctuation that he developed digestive problems? He had an operation and wound up with a semicolon."
It never hurts to fine tune your writing or to remind yourself of common habits that make writing boring, unclear, onerous, or just wrong. Robert Harris does that in this book, and he does so in a manner that is concise and clear, and much like the joke quoted above, sometimes funny, or partly funny.
Some may criticize the content of the book as pedantic and the stuff of elitism. But, the beauty of this book is that Harris, like Mary Norris, the Comma Queen, reminds us that even when we enjoy writing (so do, many don't or won't), we are writing for others and that there are conventions that make it easier for others to read what we write. The more conscious we are as writers, the more our readers benefit from better-organized thinking and clearer presentations. Don't we owe those we expect to read what we write that consideration? Don't we expect those who actually read what we write not to give up in frustration because we've presented a disorganized shambles, or make so many unedited mistakes that reading it becomes frustrating and pointless?
As a lawyer, I have written every day some decision, correspondences, legal briefs of massive lengths and 1 paragraph summaries, reviews of rules and statutes, settlement proposals, and various other communications designed to communicate an idea or ideas that I believe out to receive some attention. I have done for more than 45 years, and, in that time, have had the pleasure of having to read written work produced by the efforts of others. Lawyers' writing tends toward a natural clumsiness and density, but good writing by lawyers is a joy to read, as is good writing anywhere. Good writing, in my view, shows respect for the reader, one's common language, and the art of communication. Even writing where writing displays "culture talk" and difficult to read, it is a joy to read when it done artfully and with a glance to the rules which organize it.
Some might argue that, in a world of Twitter, email, and any other form of communication that doesn't involve deep thought or complex, nuanced ideas, any instruction about how to become a better writer is a sign of elitists trying to dictate normative speech throughout society. I remember the vitriol slung at Mary Norris when her book explaining why proper grammar shouldn't be ignored was published. Some reviled her as elitist, even though the book was charming and funny, much like Harris, who addresses us as "malascribes" and even gives us a 1-step recovery program with Malascribe Bill of Rights to help us sort out our bad writing habits, lead us out of denial of our bad habits, and lead us into the clear air and bright skies of good writing.
Each of us pays a form of patriotic homage to ourselves and our diverse cultures when we strive to write well and improve our writing as a sign of respect to those we want or expect to read our work.
It also never hurts to be reminded of the differences in meaning and usage of "discreet" and "discrete", or "bi-annual" contrasted with "semi-annual", or the meaninglessness of using "etc." as a substitute for what we really want to identify. (To be honest, I still have to seek a definition of discreet and discrete each time I want to apply the appropriate to my meaning, but the reminder to be careful is useful.)
The book is concise, funny in a corny and nonthreatening way, and pretty easy to read.
It never hurts to fine tune your writing or to remind yourself of common habits that make writing boring, unclear, onerous, or just wrong. Robert Harris does that in this book, and he does so in a manner that is concise and clear, and much like the joke quoted above, sometimes funny, or partly funny.
Some may criticize the content of the book as pedantic and the stuff of elitism. But, the beauty of this book is that Harris, like Mary Norris, the Comma Queen, reminds us that even when we enjoy writing (so do, many don't or won't), we are writing for others and that there are conventions that make it easier for others to read what we write. The more conscious we are as writers, the more our readers benefit from better-organized thinking and clearer presentations. Don't we owe those we expect to read what we write that consideration? Don't we expect those who actually read what we write not to give up in frustration because we've presented a disorganized shambles, or make so many unedited mistakes that reading it becomes frustrating and pointless?
As a lawyer, I have written every day some decision, correspondences, legal briefs of massive lengths and 1 paragraph summaries, reviews of rules and statutes, settlement proposals, and various other communications designed to communicate an idea or ideas that I believe out to receive some attention. I have done for more than 45 years, and, in that time, have had the pleasure of having to read written work produced by the efforts of others. Lawyers' writing tends toward a natural clumsiness and density, but good writing by lawyers is a joy to read, as is good writing anywhere. Good writing, in my view, shows respect for the reader, one's common language, and the art of communication. Even writing where writing displays "culture talk" and difficult to read, it is a joy to read when it done artfully and with a glance to the rules which organize it.
Some might argue that, in a world of Twitter, email, and any other form of communication that doesn't involve deep thought or complex, nuanced ideas, any instruction about how to become a better writer is a sign of elitists trying to dictate normative speech throughout society. I remember the vitriol slung at Mary Norris when her book explaining why proper grammar shouldn't be ignored was published. Some reviled her as elitist, even though the book was charming and funny, much like Harris, who addresses us as "malascribes" and even gives us a 1-step recovery program with Malascribe Bill of Rights to help us sort out our bad writing habits, lead us out of denial of our bad habits, and lead us into the clear air and bright skies of good writing.
Each of us pays a form of patriotic homage to ourselves and our diverse cultures when we strive to write well and improve our writing as a sign of respect to those we want or expect to read our work.
It also never hurts to be reminded of the differences in meaning and usage of "discreet" and "discrete", or "bi-annual" contrasted with "semi-annual", or the meaninglessness of using "etc." as a substitute for what we really want to identify. (To be honest, I still have to seek a definition of discreet and discrete each time I want to apply the appropriate to my meaning, but the reminder to be careful is useful.)
The book is concise, funny in a corny and nonthreatening way, and pretty easy to read.
February 15, 2013
If I can recommend only one book on the craft of writing, this is it. Wherever you use English - school reports, blogs, business proposals, or novels - this book can help you do so more effectively, more efficiently and more enjoyably.
Most books on writing just lay down the law. Robert W. Harris doesn't make that mistake. From the outset, he acknowledges that bad writing is an addiction; an -ism that is given to misdirect your pen. We are gripped by malescribism! This book is a treatment plan for recovery...
More at http://pratalife.blogspot.com/2008/11...
Most books on writing just lay down the law. Robert W. Harris doesn't make that mistake. From the outset, he acknowledges that bad writing is an addiction; an -ism that is given to misdirect your pen. We are gripped by malescribism! This book is a treatment plan for recovery...
More at http://pratalife.blogspot.com/2008/11...
September 28, 2012
Some useful tips in this book but I could have lived without all the 12 step program references and satire, but I guess one needs some kind of gimmick to set their writer's craft book apart from all the other ones. I mainly skipped over those parts and got right to the information I needed.
The author also lost me when he suggested one use italics to get points across. That is no longer done in writing. Also, some of this book addresses business writing rather than creative writing, so I think the author should have set those two apart because one has little to do with the other. Good over all though.
The author also lost me when he suggested one use italics to get points across. That is no longer done in writing. Also, some of this book addresses business writing rather than creative writing, so I think the author should have set those two apart because one has little to do with the other. Good over all though.
August 28, 2016
A didactic lecture on "malescibism" anonymous; the author slogs on and on, plodding and wasting time on nonessential material. It's ironic that in trying to improve one's superficial grammar, this book becomes lengthy, verbose and malescibism. The book is mindnumbingly boring!
I recommend reading "Write Tight" if you're looking to improve your writing and speaking skills.
I recommend reading "Write Tight" if you're looking to improve your writing and speaking skills.
Want to read
December 2, 2008I started this book long ago and recall that it is worthy...note to self: read it.
April 10, 2017
This book contains helpful tips on how to develop better writing habits. I will likely keep it in my library for future reference.
While I have come to appreciate the sub-genre of humorous grammar books, I did not find the '12 step program' approach of this book to be humorous or very helpful.
While I have come to appreciate the sub-genre of humorous grammar books, I did not find the '12 step program' approach of this book to be humorous or very helpful.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews