Written for students and post-students seeking a reminder of the basic rules of effective writing, The Simple Math of Writing Well: Writing for the 21st Century focuses on the mathematical structure of language, pinpointing the differences between essential and inessential rules of writing: Essential rules are necessary to maintain the mathematical patterns we expect – Use commas to separate items in a list of two or more, for example. But inessential rules have confused writers for generations – Use commas sparingly, for instance, or Be sure your sentences aren’t too long. Rather than muddling subjective preferences with the essential rules of grammar, The Simple Math of Writing Well draws a clear line between the two, empowering writers to be intentional about the choices they make.
While mathematics can be intimidating, the math in this book is refreshingly simple. Just as 1 + 1 = 2, readers will be prodded to recall such elementary equations as subject + verb = sentence and topic sentence + evidence = paragraph. Harrop divides her discussion of mechanics into logical sections – the Sentence Equation, the Paragraph Equation, and the Essay Equation – followed by chapters addressing effective writing processes, the challenges of research in the Google age, accurate academic formatting, and the netiquette of proper emails, letters, and proposals. The Simple Math of Writing Well trains writers to focus on purpose, audience, and voice for all writerly decisions, encouraging them to write with clarity and confidence.
Writing guides abound, but The Simple Math of Writing Well is one of a kind. Readers will find its practical approach affirming, encouraging, and informative, and its focus on the basics of linguistic structure releases 21st-century writers to embrace the variety of mediums that define our internet-connected world. As Harrop reminds us in the opening chapters of her book, we write more today than ever before in history: texts, emails, letters, blogs, reports, social media posts, proposals, etc. The Simple Math of Writing Well is the first guide that directly addresses the importance of writing well in the Google age.
