Looking for a good book on writing style guide. I've had a former editor go over my book and although he liked the story he criticized my writing as being awkward and messy.

He suggested to learn about writing styles but did not suggest where to look or what to read. Since he did this as a favor I'm embarrassed to ask him for more advice.

Can anyone suggest a good writing style guide for prose? I'm a Spec Fi writer but don't necessarily want to be pegged as genre writer. There are many genre writing style guides but I'm looking for a general one, albeit not scientific or academic in nature.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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<p><em>Caution: just a hobbyist</em></p>

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The classic style guide is **The Elements of Style** by Strunk and White. I think it is probably a better guide for newspaper writers than fiction writers, but still a valuable resource. Other books that might be of help are Steven King’s, **On Writing**, and **How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy** by Orson Scott Card.

I also recommend that you read what you write aloud, and see how it flows. Reading aloud really helps find awkward passages. Style is a very personal element of writing, so you have to find your own voice.

~jon

Thanks.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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<p><em>Caution: just a hobbyist</em></p>

Strunk & White's is more or less essential as a reference. I've got it memorized by now, but I used to refer to it constantly.

Another excellent guide -- though less focused on grammar -- is Ursula LeGuin's Steering the Craft. LeGuin's a master, and the book is just brilliant.

Finally, for an honest-to-god grammar reference, try Diana Hacker's Bedford Handbook. We used this in my Advanced Grammar class in college, and I used to swear I'd burn the thing in effigy when I was done the class, but really it's very useful. Clean and concise.

Generally speaking -- did your editor say, or can you tell yourself, where your main problem is? Sentence level, paragraph level, chapter level? A lot of people think that grammar's something unimportant that editors fix (hint: they don't), but the good news is that they just take practice to fix. Problems on a larger level, like exposition issues, bad transitions, clumsiness in description, etc -- are more advanced, but they're also a lot harder to point at and say "yeah, do this there."

(No authority for this, incidentally, besides a few magazine articles -- but I've written two novels and spent a great deal of time critiquing people's work, besides majoring in English, so I wouldn't write me off either. :) )

Thanks for all of this, its really helpful. I have some minor grammar issues, but I'm also an English teacher, so grammar is not the issue. My problem is mostly style. The editor told me I need to work my descriptions into my narrative better so as not to break the reader's suspension of disbelief. My descriptions are like stand alone clauses.

Also there are a number of awkward phrasings that I'm having a great deal of trouble with. So, as you say, bad transitions and clumsy descriptions are my issues.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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<p><em>Caution: just a hobbyist</em></p>

In that case I [i]strongly[/i] recommend that LeGuin book. She's got chapters on everything from kicking an adjective addiction to pacing to expository lumps. It's something I still dig out when I'm struggling with a passage, and I've had the thing ten years now and must have done all the exercises a dozen times.

You may also want to check out Holly Lisle's site:

hollylisle.com

She's got a bunch of free articles up there -- many on the more practical end of things, but there's some on voice and such -- plus a store full of e-books, a link to the Vision e-zine (free), and a link to the Forward Motion writing community -- a great site full of helpful people. Holly's a good person, a good writer, and a fabulous giver of advice. :)

I know I have more resources somewhere. I'll post them if I think of them.

Thanks for the Holly Lisle site, its great. I've ordered the LeGuin book along with another that looked good with great reviews from amazon. Looking forward to the LeGuin book.

<strong>bandolin</strong><br />
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<p><em>Caution: just a hobbyist</em></p>

Sorry to be so late to the party. Computer issues that would curl your hair. I do agree with Jon, read it out loud. Then get someone else to read it to you. Sometimes if you've done the writing you hear what you meant not what you wrote. When someone else reads it you hear what it says. Best of luck.
Bobbi

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