The Elements of Style
Buy this book - it's brilliant.
Slightly longer version...
I started writing as part of my day job. At first it was bits of copy for web pages and the odd page or two of text. Gradually it became a bigger part of the job and I edited a magazine for a few months, edit and write a regular newsletter and also wrote a book (The Essential Guide to Flatsharing).
The more I needed to write the more I needed to know how to write. Writing for the web requires a definite sense of brevity and knowing how and what to edit. The Elements of Style is a great guide when it comes to this. The main focus is getting people to write well and cleanly which is a real skill. Don't get me wrong, I love reading novels that use language with flair and style and some people pull that off brilliantly - some people. Otherwise I'm more impressed by writers (and Mark Haddon is a great example of this) who are good at stripping away anything unnecessary and just getting on with telling you a story.
This little book (for little it certainly is) practices what it preaches. Read it on one go, carry it round in a pocket for unexpected train delays, keep it by the loo...wherever you dip into a book have this book to dip into.
I've just finished my first novel and the amount of editing I've done as a dirct result of this book is huge. I'm not claiming I'm an a amazing writer (I have a long way to go to even get close to competent!) but I'm learning more as I write (and read) more.
Buy this book, read it then re-read your writing and see what happens. Every writer should own a copy of this book - whatever they write.
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