Good Writing

36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences

By: Neal Allen, Anne Lamott

Narrated by: Neal Allen, Anne Lamott

36 ways to improve your writing

Two writers show you how to turn a worthy sentence into a memorable one. Starting where The Elements of Style leaves off, Good Writing can improve your book, your essay, your memo, your blog post, speech, or script. These essential rules for persuasive language work on any type of writing, and anyone can learn them quickly.

Each rule is accompanied by examples and a lively pair of essays, the first by Neal Allen, who developed the list of tips over the course of his journalism and corporate careers; the second by his wife, Anne Lamott, acclaimed author of Bird by Bird and nineteen other nonfiction works and novels. The authors don’t always agree on the specifics, but they are passionate about making better sentences.

As Neal writes, “These rules economize, favor the plainspoken and the specific, keep the reader’s attention sharp, and in other ways show respect for the audience’s time and desire for novelty.”

Some rules are fundamental: Use strong verbs. Remove the boring stuff. Twist clichés. Some are more subtle: Draw on all five senses. Give your sentence a finale. Along the way, Good Writing addresses practicalities such as finishing projects despite challenges, trusting editors, and knowing when to break the rules to serve your story.

Whether you're a novice writer or a seasoned author, this entertaining guide will revolutionize your approach to crafting sentences.

Critic reviews

"Good Writing is as sharply specific as Bird by Bird is wanderingly wonderful: as winning a companion piece as two winning companions could create."—Meredith Maran, The Los Angeles Times

“Right on time comes an essential guide to good writing from Neal Allen and Anne Lamott. In decades of writing and publishing, and teaching how to do it, I have used many guides including William Zinsser, Roy Peter Clark, Constance Hale, Lynne Truss, and others. They're still useful, but this book is direct, encouraging, practical, and also soulful—a hard combination to pull off. I'll definitely recommend it to my students.”—Douglas Foster, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University