Jane Austen, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgarald were natural-born wordsmiths; however, most of us must work at it.
When I stumbled across Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences By Neal Allen and Anne Lamott, I was curious.
Allen holds master’s degrees in political science and Eastern classics. He was a journalist and a corporate executive before becoming a writer, spiritual coach, and public speaker.
Lamott is the author of twenty books including the New York Times bestsellers Bird by Bird, Somehow; Help, Thanks, Wow; Dusk, Night, Dawn; and Traveling Mercies. She’s an inductee to the California Hall of Fame and a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient.
Neal and Lamott met in 2016 when she was sixty-two and he was sixty. Though their writing styles and philosophies differ, they bonded over their love of the craft. They married in 2019 and often collaborate on writing projects in addition to their individual works.
The organization of this book is straight forward. During his career, Allen developed his thirty-six rules for writing. Each chapter covers a separate rule and contains separate essays written by Neal and Lamott about the rule and how it relates to the craft of writing. They don’t always agree, but Lamott is always playful in her disagreement. Her sense of humor is evident whether she agrees or disagrees with her husband.
The authors weave personal experiences and tips into each essay. They don’t take themselves or the rules too seriously. The back and forth is always respectful and insightful.
A few of Neal’s writing rules address using strong verbs, involving the multiple senses of your readers/listeners, respecting your reader by not dumbing down your content or using fancy words that send them to the dictionary repeatedly.
Others pertain to omitting superfluous words, showing then telling, and being honest. Neal stresses the importance of correct grammar and punctuation, if you want to be taken seriously as a writer.
Lamott reminds us that grammar and punctuation should be natural, especially when writing dialogue or speaking conversationally.
My favorite rule is number 34, learning when to break the rules. Every person is different and every writer or speaker should find their unique voice. Writing for children is different from writing for adults. Fiction and non-fiction also differ. Tech manuals shouldn’t be written like romances. The reverse is also true.
This book is a useful tool for novice writers and seasoned professionals. Becoming a published author is hard. There’s a lot of competition. To literary agents, publishers, editors, and readers, your writing is only as good as your next sentence, and you are only as good as your next book. There’s no room for sloppiness.
Anyone can become a better communicator by learning to craft better sentences. Imagine conducting a business meeting and holding the attention of your bosses and coworkers, explaining a new concept or idea once instead of multiple times, or sending more effective emails to clients and potential clients.
This book has something for everyone. I’ve been recommending it to all my writing friends and associates.
Selected Works:
Anne Lamott:
Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son’s First Year (1993)
Bird by Bird (1994)
Somehow: Thoughts on Love (1999)
Grace (Eventually): Thoughts on Faith (2007)
Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Despair (2013)
Help Thanks Wow (2012)
Quotes (2016)
All New People (2016)
Almost Everything (2018)
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith (2020)
Neal Allen:
Shapes of Truth: Discover God Inside You (2021) with a foreword by Anne Lamott
Better Days: Tame Your Inner Critic (2023) with a foreword by Anne Lamott
Photo Credit for image of Allen and Lamott:
Photo by Sam LaMotte