• Neil James
• Allen & Unwin
• $39.99
This book was surprise. The title and cover didn’t inspire instant longing and insatiable curiosity. Quite the opposite in fact. book on writing by the executive director of Australia’s Plain English Foundation was bound to be like being back in school English lessons. And in way it is – except now you realise why you probably should have been paying more attention back then. Simple and effective writing is not rocket science, often it’s case of much, much, much less is more and James’ book helps you to do this. From planning through structure and expression to reviewing your work writing, Writing at Work has clear, easy to follow tips and explanations. It also includes some interesting context and history. I, for one, was fascinated to learn that Aristotle was the first to use paragraph breaks in writing. The mix of practical and ‘pub quiz’ makes this book well worth devoting some time to. It’s one that can happily sit on desk to be referred to time and again.
