I’ve been dipping into the Guardian’s How to Write, edited by Philip Oltermann. There is a 100 page style guide, lots of general advice for writers, and separate chapters on: Fiction, Books for Children, Memoir and Biography, Journalism, Plays and Screenplays, and Comedy. It’s full of wisdom, and practical tips. Many of the articles are available online here.
There are many passages I would like to quote. I can’t resist these two paragraphs on cliches:
Overused words and phrases to be avoided, some of which merit their own ignominious entry in this blog, include: back burner, boost (massive or otherwise), bouquets and brickbats, but hey…, count ‘em, debt mountain, drop-dead gorgeous, elephant in the room, fit for purpose, insisted, key, major, massive, meanwhile, politically correct, raft of measures, special, to die for, upsurge; verbs overused in headlines include: bid, boost, fuel, hike, signal, spiral, target, set to.
A survey by the Plain English Campaign found that the most irritating phrase in the language was at the end of the day, followed by (in order of annoyance): at this moment in time, like (as in, like, this), with all due respect, to be perfectly honest with you, touch base, I hear what you’re saying, going forward, absolutely, and blue sky thinking; other words and phrases that upset people included 24/7, ballpark figure, bottom line, diamond geezer, it’s not rocket science, ongoing, prioritise, pushing the envelope, singing from the same hymn sheet, and thinking outside the box.
You can tick me off whenever I use any of the above.
Another suggestion that came up more than once was to aim at a plain style and avoid using adjectives and adverbs. I’d like to try this, but not at the end of a long day…
Cliches drive me up the wall. They are one of the cardinal sins of writing. At the end of the day, the bottom line when you write is to make everything crystal clear. Alarm bells should ring when you find yourself using cliches.
Those writers whose books sell like hot cakes, and who have a captive audience of millions of avid readers who eagerly devour their books, – the writers who make you green with envy – , never do this. Not in a month of Sundays. To be honest, this should be plain as a pikestaff to any writer who is worth their salt.
Without a shadow of a doubt, and without fear of contradiction, if you want to earn your living as a writer – and be able to keep the wolf from the door and keep your head above water – avoid cliches; avoid them like the plague. This is one of the acid tests of a good writer. What’s more, it’s one piece of advice to writers that is set in stone and should be part and parcel of any set of advice.
Hi Fr, always read the blog, it’s interesting and casts a wide net.
Have you seen the new film The Box? I saw it recently. I reckon you should see it and write a film review on your blog. As a philosopher I think you’ll pick up on lots of things in the film and draw out some good ideas?