{"product_id":"the-writers-diet-a-guide-to-fit-prose-9780226351988","title":"The Writer's Diet: A Guide to Fit Prose","description":"Do your sentences sag? Could your paragraphs use a pick-me-up? If so, \u003ci\u003eThe Writer's Diet \u003c\/i\u003eis for you  It's a short, sharp introduction to great writing that will help you energize your prose and boost your verbal fitness. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Writer's Diet \u003c\/i\u003eis as sleek and concise as the writing ideals contained within, this slim volume packs a powerful punch. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eHelen Sword \u003c\/b\u003eis 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 \u003ci\u003eStylish Academic Writing\u003c\/i\u003e and manages the website www.writersdiet.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Chicago Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50674749145362,"sku":"9780226351988","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_de22330c-b5a0-4806-9fc3-7a72284d3204.jpg?v=1733864651","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-writers-diet-a-guide-to-fit-prose-9780226351988","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}