Writing Shift

The Magazine of Speculative Fiction

All writers start someplace. They pick up their first pen or pencil, stare at their first ever blank page, or strike their first key. They must also read their first book on the “craft” of writing. And if there is ever a choice in the matter, William Strunk's Elements of Style should be that very first book they read.

As writers, we are caretakers, guardians of clear and definite thought. We open doorways into other worlds, of both fantasy and facts, but our hard work comes to nothing without first putting in hard work to learn the language; a language that is the medium between time and space, writer and reader.

Written by a college professor (William Strunk Jr.), but revised and expanded by E.B. White (author of Charlotte's Web), Elements of Style has been one of the most read grammar and punctuation books in modern times. It contains functional knowledge for beginners and seasoned professionals alike. There's little in Elements of Style that's not tangible. What you read today, you can use right now.

The Elements of Style covers English usage (basic grammar and punctuation), the composition of sentences and paragraphs, form (hyphens, parenthesis, etc.), commonly misused words and phrases, and style. This breezy book serves as a great start-point for beginners; a wonderful reminder for the veteran; and for everyone in between, a guide that is quick and easy to read and understand.

Elements burns a path through the sometimes complicated jungle of English Language. In 85 pages it offers a helping hand to anyone willing to understand how and why the language is structured as it is, and why it's so important to provide the reader with clarity. Like a map, The Elements of Style guides the willing writer through numerous tangles and dead ends, to meet the reader on stable ground.

There are many pitfalls in the English language. The Elements of Style shines a light on many of them, and prepares you for many more. It is a one of its kind. Small, but not lacking in essentials; simple, but not ignorant of the needs of aspiring writers. So don't underestimate its size, or wrinkle your nose at its age. Even today (might I say especially today?) Elements of Style is as accurate as it was when it was written.