Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to writing expert Susan McKerihan about the importance of well-constructed sentences, ahead of her Writing Clear Sentences workshop at Writing NSW on 29 July.
Why are sentences so important?
Individual words on their own are rarely enough to tell you anything meaningful. They need to be grouped together to convey a message. Putting words into a sentence gives you context, insight, nuance, sometimes an introduction to a whole new world. And if you want your work to be understood as you intended, your sentences need to be as clear as possible. Readers are likely to interpret a text in line with their own experience or knowledge, so you can’t assume they will know what’s in your head.
What is the most common sentence-level mistake you’ve encountered?
Clutter! It can be summarised into three problem areas:
- Overly long sentences – they can become overwhelming, or end up not making sense.
- Vague, abstract choices in structure and wording, often resulting in ambiguity. This is fine if it’s intentional, but otherwise can frustrate the reader.
- Padding, resulting from such things as unnecessary words, particularly adverbs and adjectives; repetition (of both words and ideas); the use of clichés; and stating the obvious.
So if writers have a grasp of these aspects of style and grammar, they can be more aware of what works and what doesn’t in different contexts.
What have you read recently that you really enjoyed?
I’ve recently read two books that I am still thinking about:
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee, written in 1959. It’s the author’s memoir of his childhood, growing up in a large, poor family in the English countryside around the time of World War 1. It evokes an idyllic world that no longer exists; there are sad times of poverty and illness, but also times of great joy and beauty. The writing is pure magic.
The Anchoress by Robyn Cadwallader. A mediaeval village girl decides to become a religious recluse, or anchorite, spending her life in a tiny stone cell attached to the local church. It’s a hypnotic story and the writing transports you to 13th century England. That’s my favourite period of history so the book won me over on two counts!
Susan McKerihan spent 20 years as the plain English editor at in a large professional services firm, helping consultants in all technical and specialist areas to write clear and concise reports. She now has her own business training, coaching and advising business people on how to improve the style and impact of their written work. She has a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and a Graduate Diploma in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (both from Sydney University), and has taught English as a foreign language in France and Australia.
She was a member of the review panel for the Australian Government Style Manual, and her book, Clear & Concise: Become a Better Business Writer, was published by Black Inc. in 2015. She is currently finalising her second book, an introduction to grammar for adults who didn’t learn grammar at school or have forgotten all they once knew.
Join Susan’s workshop Writing Clear Sentences workshop at Writing NSW on 29 July 2023, 10am-4pm.
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