Revising Prose by Richard A. Lanham is a widely-acclaimed resource for writers seeking to refine their writing. Lanham has penned a classic Manual for writers that’s as applicable today as when it was first released nearly 30 years ago.
The book centers around the five main tenants of sound rhetoric: clarity, precision, emphasis, decorum, and coherence. Each one of these distinct tenants is carefully explained and illustrated by numerous examples. Lanham’s gift is that he provides both clear examples and clear explanations for each of the tenants. This makes it easy for readers to apply each of the tenants to their own writing with confidence.
The first tenant is clarity. Lanham asserts that it’s impossible to make your writing clear if one cannot write clearly themselves. To help readers write clearly, LANHAM presents numerous examples of clear, concise writing, and explains why they are effective. He also walks readers through the process of identifying, expressing and supporting ideas, as well as how to create an effective structure within paragraphs and papers.
The second tenant is precision. Lanham emphasizes that readers should always strive for accuracy in their writing. He demonstrates exactly how readers should go about striving for accuracy by providing readers with multiple examples of precision and how it should be used in writing.
The third tenant of effective rhetoric is emphasis. Lanham places a premium on overwhelming the reader with the main idea of a piece and demonstrates how this can be accomplished. He also provides readers with numerous examples of emphasizing one’s writing, including the proper use of punctuation as well as powerful word choice.
The fourth tenant of effective rhetoric is decorum. Lanham explains that decorum in writing is all about choosing words and ideas wisely. This means choosing words and ideas that are pertinent to one’s topic and that also appeal to the intended reader. Lanham also shows how to effectively use metaphors and figures of speech for additional emphasis.
The fifth and final tenant is coherence. Lanham emphasizes that it is vital for readers to learn to compose their writing in a way that will effectively convey their ideas to the reader. Coherent writing requires both a clear structure and the ability to logically sequence ideas. Lanham presents readers with numerous strategies and tools to help them achieve coherence in their writing.
Lanham’s book provides readers with a clear, concise, and actionable guide for improving their written work. It does not attempt to give readers a reason to write well, but rather explains why it is important and how to go about refining their writing. If a reader is seeking to refine their writing, then Lanham’s guide will prove invaluable in doing so. The book is highly regarded by those in the literary industry and is an authoritative must-have resource for those seeking to take their writing to the next level.
