Revising prose
by Richard A. Lanham · first published 1979
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Practical guide to tightening and clarifying sentences during revision; recommended for anyone who writes non-fiction or copy edits, and often paired with On Writing Well and The Elements of Style.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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…converse like Dijkstra in this lecture? Practice makes perfect, that's really all there is to it. A good book on writing style can help, but only if you use it. The Sense of Style by Steven Pinker and Revising Prose by Richard Lanham are my two favorites.
on “E.W. Dijkstra Archive: The Humble Programmer” ↗I second On Writing Well. It's an absolute must read for anyone writing non-fiction. There are two other books I'd throw up with it—Revising Prose by Richard Lanham and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Those three books together are a fantastic course in writing.
on “Stephen King's “Everything You Need to Know About Writing Successfully”” ↗…if I were writing that I'd probably end up with something closer to your first version in the first draft. Which is why you want to revise into a second draft. Luckily there's a book that can help: "Revising Prose" by Lanham (http://amzn.to/2f9pUjN). Your local library probably has a copy. It's pretty entertaining read, too. If you want a more extensive guide, "Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace" (http://amzn.to/2f9zqDp)…
on “Ask HN: How have you adapted your writing for executives/non-technical staff?” ↗There are so many. Writing, like any other skill, can be taught and learned. Don't just practice and passively observe. Thinking in Style, Pinker Revising Prose, Lanham Good Prose, Kidder
on “What books can I read to improve my writing?” ↗…confusing "this is The Correct Way", which is wrong, it all depends. Once you understand style, either try for style they mostly talk about in that book (classical style), or if you want practical style then Revising Prose or Style: Toward Clarity and Grace are good.
on “What books can I read to improve my writing?” ↗Just wanted to add a book recommendation for copy editing: "Revising Prose" by Lanham. It was recommended by a respected philosopher when I was in undergrad. Excellent.
on “You might as well be a great copy editor” ↗…mortality data despite numerous spills in areas frequented by the species suggests that it practices avoidance. ... and turns it into this: Pelicans seem to avoid oil spills by avoiding the oil. [1] "Revising Prose", Richard Lanham. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321441699/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_d...
on “The result would be a catastrophe (1985)” ↗This looks to be a bit of a distillation of "revising prose" book https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1552699.Revising_Prose
on “How to Write in Plain English” ↗https://www.amazon.com/Revising-Prose-5th-Richard-Lanham/dp/...
on “Ask HN: Source for de-PRing/commenting on/de-Bullshitting press releases?” ↗