For seasoned writers who rely upon clear and concise prose to get their point across, here are some more advanced texts on improving one’s writing craft.
To the Point: A Dictionary of Concise Writing by Robert Hartwell Fiske
When writing, simplify. If you can’t, read this book.
Edit Yourself: A manual for everyone who works with words by Bruce Ross-Larson
A comprehensive style manual including suggested edits and alternatives. I use this manual for my own editing.
Help! For Writers by Roy Peter Clark
210 tips, exercises and lessons for writers. If you’re stuck on a plateau and want a comprehensive program that’ll light a firecracker under your fingers, this is the book to get.
Language in Thought and Action, by S. I. Hayakawa
This book’s for thinking about words and how they create meaning rather than word choices, structure and what have you. Also handy for discovering your own biases and the biases of others. Essential for anyone who writes non-fiction or wants to get involved in the media. Also recommended: Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman.
I Always Look Up the Word ‘Egregious’, by Maxwell Nurnberg
A vocabulary builder for people that don’t need one. A good start to expand your vocabulary and in time, your entire palette of meaning.
The Elements of Eloquence, by Mark Forsyth
aka, “How to turn the perfect English phrase.” A rundown of the elements of rhetoric and other embellishments that turn your copy into poetry, sweet poetry.
Hemingway App
A free app aiding concise and clear writing. It’s not perfect, but goes a long way helping you tighten copy.
The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century, by Steven Pinker
A new approach to style in the modern era. Cognitive scientist and linguist Pinker dissects language structure and form, different and differences between styles, and how to think more clearly and accurately about writing. Best read after you’ve absorbed the more “prescriptive” texts such as Elements of Style, etc.
Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch by Constance Hale
Verbs power writing, and this book features a boatload of exercises to rev your verb-writing engines. You’ll scratch your head after reading, wondering why your laurels ever rested on lazy adverbs!