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The Writer's Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) Paperback – Illustrated, May 2, 2016

by Helen Sword (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 144 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Do your sentences sag? Could your paragraphs use a pick-me-up? If so, The Writer’s Diet is for you! It’s a short, sharp introduction to great writing that will help you energize your prose and boost your verbal fitness.

Helen Sword dispenses with excessive explanations and overwrought analysis. Instead, she offers an easy-to-follow set of writing principles: use active verbs whenever possible; favor concrete language over vague abstractions; avoid long strings of prepositional phrases; employ adjectives and adverbs only when they contribute something new to the meaning of a sentence; and reduce your dependence on four pernicious “waste words”: it, this, that, and there.

Sword then shows the rules in action through examples from William Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Martin Luther King Jr., John McPhee, A. S. Byatt, Richard Dawkins, Alison Gopnik, and many more. A writing fitness test encourages you to assess your own writing and get immediate advice on addressing problem areas. While The Writer’s Diet is as sleek and concise as the writing ideals contained within, this slim volume packs a powerful punch.

With Sword’s coaching writers of all levels can strengthen and tone their sentences with the stroke of a pen or the click of a mouse. As with any fitness routine, adhering to the rules requires energy and vigilance. The results, however, will speak for themselves.
Previous page
  1. Part of series
    Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
  2. Print length
    88 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    University of Chicago Press
  5. Publication date
    May 2, 2016
  6. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.4 x 7.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    022635198X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0226351988
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Addressing wielders of words who remain in thrall to the passive verb and the abstract noun, Sword aims to lead us to ‘fit and trim’ prose via an assault course covering horrors such as ‘Prepositional pudge,’ ‘Ad-dictions’ and ‘Waste words.’ The tone is equal parts exasperation and encouragement, and worth every sweaty minute.” ― Times Higher Education

“Who says nutritious material must be bland? This short book is packed with excellent advice on writing, offered with charm and good cheer.” -- Steven Pinker, Johnstone Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

“Even the leanest and most muscular stylists can end up with jiggly bits in their prose. With Sword as your coach, and The Writer’s Diet as your training manual, you can slim down, tone up, and become a more energetic, engaging, and lively writer.” -- Rachel Toor, columnist for The Chronicle of Higher Education and associate professor of creative writing at Eastern Washington University

About the Author

Helen Sword is professor and director of the Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education at the University of Auckland. She is the author, most recently, of Stylish Academic Writing and manages the website www.writersdiet.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 2nd ed. edition (May 2, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 88 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 022635198X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226351988
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.4 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 144 ratings

About the author

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Helen Sword

Helen Sword

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Helen Sword is a scholar, award-winning teacher, and poet who has published books and articles on modernist literature, higher education pedagogy, digital poetics, and academic writing. Born and raised in Southern California, she received her PhD in Comparative Literature from Princeton University and is now Professor and Director of the Centre for Learning and Research in Higher Education at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Her popular academic writing workshops for faculty and doctoral students have taken her to universities in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australasia.

Visit Helen Sword's Writer's Diet website at www.writersdiet.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
144 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

ColoMom
5.0 out of 5 stars A gold mine of information
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
The Writer’s Diet is a gold mine of practical and usable information. I’m a small business owner and wanted help improving my website copy and this was the most helpful tool in my process. The book is short and easy to follow, and I implemented multiple positive changes immediately after reading the book. I recommend this book to anyone who wants easy and clear tips to improve their writing.
One person found this helpful
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NCMM
5.0 out of 5 stars Sharp, straight and useful
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
A useful tool for every writer. Helen Sword draws her precise guidelines with plenty of examples. It leaves the readers craving for more, as it's should be. Out of six other writing books I read, I found this to be the most useful one.
5 people found this helpful
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Debora Santo
4.0 out of 5 stars The book is useful for style improvements
Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
The book is useful for style improvements, but that was not the writing help I was looking for. It's short, but up to point and practical, however. A useful read in any case
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars So Useful!!!!
Reviewed in the United States on October 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book just saved my writing! My writing needs clarity, the suggestions in this book were spot on. Do the test if you can, you'll be shocked. I took one of my favorite articles and ran it, it was lean across the board. That means one can write lean, it is possible.
3 people found this helpful
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Iggy Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic find!
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019
Verified Purchase
After two months of applying everything in this book, my writing has improved dramatically! The difference in my papers earlier from January to now is unbelieveable. I highly highly highly recommend picking this up!
2 people found this helpful
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M K from PA
3.0 out of 5 stars Thankfully it’s short.
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2019
Verified Purchase
Meh...it’s a really dry read. I bought it off of a recommendation and it’s a tough read. The information and examples are sound, but there isn’t much of a narrative to make it easier to read.
2 people found this helpful
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Shane Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars Use this writing tool
Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
Short and to the point (and it has exercises. So glad I found the Writer's Diet Tool then the companion book. Key point from the book - CONCRETE > vague language
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germl
5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book! Small, really helpful to avoid Jargon
Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
I am not a native English speaker/writer. I think this helps writing better and more clearly.
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Top reviews from other countries

Riley
5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful
Reviewed in Germany on November 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
I found myself wishing for more examples. But this book performed its basic functions well.
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Narinder
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!!
Reviewed in India on June 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
Very relevant book for language upgradation... highly recommended for those who want to elevate their command on English language to higher level...
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Murray Bryant
5.0 out of 5 stars Useful Hints and Practices
Reviewed in Canada on July 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
A very helpful guide to enhancing writing in all contexts.
One person found this helpful
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D.T.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great tips and easy to follow rules.
Reviewed in Australia on January 22, 2019
Verified Purchase
This book is worth its weight in gold. Humour as well as seriousness and good techniques. Thank you Writer’s Diet.
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Jason Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Superb!
One person found this helpful
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