Books for your new year

If you can locate the newest version of The Elements of Style (illustrated) by Strunk / White / Kalman, you can re-read the best book about writing ever published and see for yourself how much better it is with 57 illustrations of sample sentences from the text. It's actually kind of fun to read.

Also worth a look:

The Revenge of Anguished English, More Accidental Assaults Upon Our Language, by Richard Lederer

Ballyhoo, Buckaroo, and Spuds Ingenious, Tales of Words and Their Origins, by Michael Quinion

The New York Times Dictionary of Misunderstood, Misused & Mispronounced Words, Words We Know (until someone asks us what they mean), edited by Laurence Urdang

Good times!

The freezer method

Passing along something to try when you've got a deadline, especially for writing.

First, mentally move your work deadline back 48 hours. Complete the final draft and "put it in the freezer" by putting it aside completely.

Then, 24 hours later (note that this should also be 24 hours before you'd normally be completing it) sit down with it again and read it as if seeing it for the first time. Missing words that your spell check program didn't catch? Punctuation? Proper formatting? And so on.

All good?

When one essay is not enough

I wrote a pretty good essay last May, for my English class as practice for the Common App essay. It earned me an A-, which was high praise from that teacher.

But. After rewriting that essay over the summer, I came to a place where I was happy with the writing but not happy with the essay. It wasn't what I wanted to say about me. It said something, a lot actually, just not what I think is most important for someone to know about me.

So I've started over, and my weekends have become these essay islands located between each week's homework flood. I sit down at the dining room table and outline, or jot down random thoughts: what is it that I want readers - strangers who will decide my fate - to know about me if this is ALL they will know? No pressure, right?

I'm trying to think of four or five words that describe me. Some I'm considering: optimistic, determined, independent.

I'm also thinking about whether I want to show (by telling a story that reveals these things about me) or tell (laying out my thoughts and opinions)...

Quotes or no quotes? Funny or serious?

Sometimes I'm tempted to just use the essay I spent so long polishing, but then I think about how I'll feel if I don't get in to the college I'm applying Early Decision to. What if a better essay - a truer essay - would have made the difference?

500 important words.