Do I make myself clear? : a practical guide to writing well in the modern age /
Harold Evans.
- New York : Back Bay Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, 2018.
- x, 434 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm.
"Originally published in hardcover by Little, Brown and Company, May 2017"--Title page verso
Introduction I. Tools of the trade : A noble thing Use and abuse of writing formulas The sentence clinic Ten shortcuts to making yourself clear Please don't feed the zombies, flesh-eaters, and pleonasms Interlude : Give the Bard a break II. Finishing the job : Every word counts Care for meanings Storytelling: the long and short of it III. Consequences : Steps were taken: explaining the underwear bomber Money and words Buried treasure: it's yours, but words get in the way Home runs for writers Afterthought Answers to "Man or machine?" Analysis: The bomber: how 2,567 words became 1,030
"Harold Evans has edited everything from the urgent files of battlefield reporters to the complex thought processes of Henry Kissinger. He's even been knighted for his services to journalism. In Do I Make Myself Clear? he brings his indispensable insight to us all in a definitive guide to writing well. The right words are oxygen to our ideas, but the digital era -- with its TTYL, LMK, and WTF -- has been cutting off that oxygen flow. The compulsion to be precise has vanished from our culture, and in writing of every kind there is a trend toward more -- more speed, more information -- yet far less clarity. Evans provides practical examples of how editing and rewriting can make for better communication, even in the digital age. Do I Make Myself Clear? is an essential text, and one that will provide every writer with an editor at his shoulder."-- From publisher's description