Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing

John R. Trimble’s Writing with Style: Conservations on the Art of Writing is a short handbook that analyzes how experienced writers think, craft prose, and edit their work. Written from the perspective of a teacher, Trimble was inspired to publish Writing with Style in response to his college students, who lacked a clear guide on how to write an analytical essay. First published in 1975, Writing with Style continues to guide writers nearly 50 years later.

Summary

Although his intended audience is the college essay writer, Trimble’s focus on clear writing, thinking, and punctuation are tools for authors crafting any type of prose, be it an email or a book manuscript. In the Preface, “A Word About These ‘Conversations,’” Trimble outlines Writing with Style’s four main objectives:

1) Explain how experienced writers think.

2) Share a number of useful tips on writing.

3) Answer some of the most recurring questions about punctuation, conventions, and stylistic taboos.

4) Keep it all brief enough to be read over a couple of cups of coffee (x).

Chapter 1 provides nine steps that every writer should adopt before writing their essay. Those nine steps include: 1) Picking a topic you feel passionate about; 2) Narrowing down your topic; 3) Stockpiling data; 4) Formulating questions about your topic; 5) Picking a meaty argument; 6) Writing a rough draft; 7) Reading the rough draft; 8) Writing a second rough draft; 9) Beginning to edit.

In Chapters 2-3, Trimble begins to break down what make all great writing great: an author’s critical thinking skills: “With good thinking comes good writing,” explains Trimble. “Without it, no amount of technical expertise will save you” (3). Good thinking includes writing about topics that you feel passionate about, logically leading your reader between key points, and selecting evidence that proves your point.

Chapters 4-6 dive into the essay’s tripart organization, including openers, middles, and closers. Openers, or the first few sentences of a piece, are the author’s only opportunity to hook the reader. Therefore, they should be compelling and concise. The middle part of an essay is where the author lays out their evidence. Clear signposting is critical so the reader does not become lost in the essay’s details. Finally, closers summarize the author’s key argument, possibly introduce a new idea, and end with a punch.

Chapters 7-8 narrow down to the level of the sentence. Trimble advocates for authors using strong verbs and active voice, which he explains in detail. He argues that “Good writing really begins with a profound respect for words—their precise denotations, their connotations, even their weight and music, if you will” (59). Here, Trimble describes how authors can develop a strong, concise tone or style.

In Chapters 9-11, Trimble takes on the “literary prudes” who police the English language (83). These prudes view the rules of English as static, which Trimble adamantly disagrees with. Here, the author tackles the seven “rules” that he feels writers should break sometimes. Likewise, Trimble dedicates a few short pages to the topic of revising and proofreading, which is the final step that transforms an okay essay into a good one.

In Chapters 12-14, Trimble homes in on the detailed world of punctuation. He discusses the rules of commas, colons, parentheses, quotations, semicolons, dashes, exclamation points, and ellipses.