Rewrite Right! : Your Guide to Perfectly Polished Prose: 2nd Edition

Good, clear writing appears effortless. But chances are, the more effective the communication, the more work that went into making it so. Rare is the individual whose professional or personal life doesn't call for some written communication. Jan Venolia's Rewrite Right! is small enough to slip into a laptop carrying case, yet it offers, as the author says, "a solid foundation in the principles of revising." Venolia recommends editing on two levels--first to improve the writing, then to correct the language--and lays out her lesson plan with a four-page editing checklist. Most professional writers (though, believe me, certainly not all) understand the importance of writing to an audience, avoiding jargon and hackneyed expressions, and getting the words right. But anyone else who writes could benefit from a no-nonsense guide such as this. Venolia peppers her text with lists (e.g., of stuffy words, biased language, clichés), humor, and examples from the likes of Mark Twain and Isaac Bashevis Singer. Entertaining quotations strewn throughout are fresh and to the point. ("Writing a first paragraph," quips Lynn Z. Bloom, "is like raising a first child. It's better if you start out on the second.") "Good writing gets things done," says Venolia. Her Rewrite Right! offers valuable tips on "how to tug on words and adjust them until they say what you want them to say." --Jane Steinberg

• The Right Word!: How to Say What You Really Mean (Right! Series)
• Write Right!: A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
• Write Right! Rewrite Right! A Desktop Digest of Punctuation, Grammar, and Style
• The Right Letter!: How to Communicate Effectively in a Busy World
• The Best Punctuation Book, Period: A Comprehensive Guide for Every Writer, Editor, Student, and Businessperson
• The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to-Use Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes
• Kids Write Right!: What You Need to Be a Writing Powerhouse