Almost a century and half later, Abraham Lincoln’s written work still stands up. I just finished (and enjoyed) a Lincoln biography and was struck how Lincoln relied on his ear to help edit his work. (A. Lincoln by Ron White.) In Lincoln’s words, “I can always tell more about a thing after I’ve heard it read aloud, and know how it sounds.” (Page 584)
Professional writers understand this and recommend reading prose aloud. I find that if I’m struggling with a sentence or paragraph, reading it aloud will help me focus on what’s wrong with it.
My rule of thumb is that if it sounds good it probably is good; and conversely, if it sounds bad it probably is bad.
Try it the next time you can’t seem to fix a chunk of text. Or better yet, ask yourself, is that text necessary at all?
Legal-writing tips
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November 3, 2009 |
Practice News
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November 2, 2009 |
Practice News
One of the many blessings of the Internet is the proliferation of legal-writing blogs. To quote Bryan Garner, the law is a literary profession, and I believe that writing is something I have to work on every day. Think about it; we churn out more copy than most journalists do. I’ll note a couple of blogs that I like. Ray Ward. Ward, an appellate lawyer in New Orleans, gives thoughtful, practical advice culled from actual cases and publications. Wayne Schiess. Schiess teaches legal writing at the University of Texas Law School of Law and has also written several books on this subject. I read his Writing for the Legal Audience this summer and thought it was excellent. Bryan A. Garner has become the gold standard for legal writing, and his site offers readers a free “Garner’s Usage Tip of the Day” by email. Mignon Fogarty’s Grammar Girl produces short and enjoyable podcasts on specific issues such as the difference between “which” and “that.” If I am eating at my desk, I tune her in.