Of his book titled On Writing, Stephen King says "This is a short book because most books about writing are filled with bullshit". He goes on to explain that most fiction writers, including himself, have no idea what makes their work good or bad. He recommends just one book as worthwhile - The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White.
Reviews for this timeless and entertaining 97-page guide to English usage, include such as "No book in shorter space, with fewer words, will help any writer more than this persistent little volume" -The Boston Globe, and "...should be the daily companion of anyone who writes for a living and, for that matter, anyone who writes at all" - Greensboro (N.C) Daily News.
Amongst a plethora of handy tips imparted within the book's covers, I mention just two. Regarding figures of speech it says "When you use metaphor, do not mix it up. That is, don't start by calling something a swordfish and end up calling it an hourglass", and in avoiding fancy words, "Do not be tempted by a twenty-dollar word when there is a ten-center handy, ready and able".
Both The Elements of Style and On Writing are books to buy and inwardly digest. ...And a tip from me, never lend them out, as you'll probably never see them again and resent the borrower/inadvertent thief forever!
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