Regarding the 9 Core Principles of Writing, it's not a bad list in parts but he's wrong on more than one point:
Using "nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs" (no. 8) is not a core principle; rather, it shows a distinct lack of imagination if followed slavishly. Neither is "permeating the work with details" (4); that can lead to being so bogged down the piece becomes unreadable. "Use the active voice" (2) is a hackneyed aphorism that ignores the important and time-honored usefulness of the passive voice.
These types of lists are best accompanied by a tag line to the effect that the list is to be ignored whenever a writer has a good reason for doing so.
Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 5:00AM
Reader Comments (1)
Regarding the 9 Core Principles of Writing, it's not a bad list in parts but he's wrong on more than one point:
Using "nouns and verbs, not adjectives and adverbs" (no. 8) is not a core principle; rather, it shows a distinct lack of imagination if followed slavishly. Neither is "permeating the work with details" (4); that can lead to being so bogged down the piece becomes unreadable. "Use the active voice" (2) is a hackneyed aphorism that ignores the important and time-honored usefulness of the passive voice.
These types of lists are best accompanied by a tag line to the effect that the list is to be ignored whenever a writer has a good reason for doing so.
Cheers,
Tim