StyleWriter teaches the art of editing; how to run the editor's pen through inadequate writing; how to cut the waffle, how to turn a draft into clear and concise plain English.
It persuades users to change their ingrained style. It persuades writers to produce prose that helps readers - effectively and briefly. And it is really very good.
The program works by analyzing writing for 35,000 known style and usage faults. To take two simple examples, it suggests altering "It was decided by the committee..." to "The committee decided..."; and "This pamphlet is intended to show..." to "This pamphlet shows...."
Blindingly obvious when you think about it. And it is what plain English is all about - clear, concise and effective writing. It also highlights complex words and suggests simpler alternatives, draws attention to abstract words, over-complex phrases, confused and misused words (a far more common problem than poor grammar) and the bare minimum of self-evident grammatical errors.
The results of using plain English are stunning. The UK Employment Department saved £250,000 a year in paper alone, merely by reducing the number of words used. StyleWriter may well be a surprise when you start to use it, mainly because its advice is so devastatingly sensible.
Poor writing is often the result of slipshod thinking or the muddled memory of unnecessary rules.
StyleWriter has the chance to break habits most writers are not aware they had. Anyone smug enough to think they have no writing problems should remember the old saying "Most writers only have two writing problems:
- first they don't know how to write;
- second they think they do."
The Daily Telegraph
by Richard Jones - Editor of the Good Software Guide
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