OT: Rewriting History

I’ve been blogging for a few months. During that time I’ve received comments about my grammar, sentence construction and paragraph construction. I have taken this criticism to heart. I have only had two specific comments about my writing style so I have a point to start from. Like most of you, I do not write for a living. I do write every day of my life. I have had basic writing instruction during my high school an college days, but nothing during my time as a professional. The most training I’ve ever had communicating to others has been in the form of speech and theater. I have had some success as a speaker, and I feel very good about that end of my skill set.

So, I am attempting to correct this lack of education the only way I know how. I did some research and came up with three books to start my literary education.

The Elements of Style
My wife tells me this is a must.

 

On Writing Well, 30th Anniversary Edition: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction
This one looked good and I’ve enjoyed reading it so far.

 

Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
I have listened to the pod cast before I thought it was fine so I got the book.

The great thing about a blog is it isn’t as static as a printed book. As I learn I can make revisions to the articles. I can make revisions to correct the broken bits and make them easier to read.

If you have any recommendations leave them in the comments section and I’ll give it a read. I’ll also try to learn something in the process!

 

UPDATE:

A couple of friends that write also suggested

Woe Is I (Expanded Edition) [WOE IS I (EXPANDED EDITION) EX]
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Merriam-Webster’s Everyday Language Reference Set: Vocabulary Builder/Thesaurus/Dictionary

All three are on the way!