Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
Rating: ★★★★
Everybody Writes is a breakdown of writing tips and tricks to make everyday writing more interesting. I read this book for my new job as a communications specialist. I do a lot of marketing writing, and this book contained many useful tips to avoid the cheesy marketing stereotypes. This is not my favorite book on writing, but it is the most useful for anyone trying to learn how to write from a marketing perspective.
I really appreciate the humor Ann Handley worked in to this technical book. She included a lot of sassy comments like "Does dropping the adverb alter the meaning? For example, in my first sentence on this page I needed that adverb gratuitously in 'most writers use adverbs gratuitously.' Without it the sentence loses it's meaning and becomes, 'most writers use adverb.' Well, duh." (99)
My favorite tips:
The five paragraph essay structure we were taught in school is boring. No one wants to write it and no one wants to read it. Try something else.
Write with clarity, brevity, and utility
The two types of editing: development editing (editing by chainsaw) and line editing (editing with surgical tools)
Cut the first paragraph of your writing. It will help you get to the point faster.
