Download or read book The Writer's Diet written by Helen Sword and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-05-02 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers an easy-to-follow set of writing principles. For example, use active verbs whenever possible, favour 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 the "waste words": 'it', 'this', 'that' and 'there'. The author also shows these rules in action through examples from famous authors such as Shakespeare and Emily Dickinson. The book includes a test to help you assess your own writing and get advice on problem areas.