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Don't Let Words Fail You

© Roxianne Moore

Patricia O'Conner, author of the best-selling Woe is I, an irreverent but accurate guide to grammar, has again come to the rescue of struggling writers. Her newest book, Words Fail Me, should be available in stores in September.

Let's face it, with e-mail, web pages, reports, public relations, newsletters and all the other writing we do these days, there's a lot of bad writing out there. Many of us, even professional writers, could use a refresher course in grammar and style. Words Fail Me may not be a substitute for a good grammar guide, but it's much easier reading than Strunk and White's The Elements of Style.

O'Conner walks you step by step through the writing process, from idea to final revision. Along the way, she gives tips for avoiding purple prose, grammar faux, and weak verbs. Mostly aimed at nonfiction writers, many of her suggestions will also be useful for fiction writers.

I especially liked her chapter on the "Organized Writer". I've always been organizationally challenged, and I'm positive I'd be more productive if I could just get organized. Well, O'Conner's method suits me fine. She covers everything from how to keep track of your ideas before they get lost to tacking those ideas and tidbits onto the bones of your project. This isn't a long-winded discussion of outlining, filing and ruthless weeding. It's a practical look at how the average writer can become more organized.

Her chapter titles demonstrate the light-hearted approach she takes to grammar and good writing:

• Is Your Egg Ready to Hatch? Know Your Subject
• "The Party to Whom I am Speaking": Know the Audience
• Get With the Program: The Organized Writer
• Pompous Circumstances: Hold the Baloney
• The Life of the Party: Verbs that Zing
• The "It" Parade: Pronoun Pileups
• Smothering Heights: Misbehaving Modifiers
• Made for Each Other: Well-Matched Sentences
• Grammar Moses: Thou Shalt Not Embarrass Thyself
• Lost Horizon: What's the Point of View
• Everybody's Favorite Subject: I, Me, My
• Debt Before Dishonor: How and What to Borrow
• Revise and Consent: Getting to the Finish Line

For beginning writers, Words Fail Me is a good starting place. For more experienced writers, it answers a lot of those nagging questions that come up all too often. It would also make a great gift for someone who needs to improve writing skills for memos, reports, newsletters and public relations. When you come right down to it, almost everyone has to write these days and too many of us have forgotten the basics.

Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know About Writing

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