In Elements of Style, E.B. White writes: "A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary part." If you agree with the premise of the early 20th century Ivy League scholar, you're at the gates of editor heaven.

The Elements of Style handbook by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White keeps me honest if not erudite. William Strunk was White's English professor at Cornel University long before anyone reading this was born. White went on to author Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little and numerous essays. Even though the older Strunk created the famous little book, it was White who first updated and published it. Revised many times since, the book lives on inside the pockets and on the desks of seasoned writers and journalists who want to write better.

Life, love and the pursuit of writing are all about style and passion. Zadie Smith, (White Teeth, On Beauty) is one of today's brightest best selling authors. She says she owes her recent success to 19th century novelist, E.M. Forster (Howard's End, Wings of The Dove). Here's what Zadie says about Forster's influence. "He gave me a classy old frame, which I covered with new material as best I could."

Style and passion never go out of fashion. I try not to be in love with my own words, or use fancy phraseology. Windiness is boring. It may stroke the ego, but it sure tires the reader. Unless, like Zadie Smith, you have an excellent ear for dialect, it too becomes an annoying hindrance. The latest buzzwords (dude, hottie) make for great commercial copy. But in literature they soon become yesterday's newspaper. I haven't finished reading all of Charles Dickens, but I've yet to find a line, a phrase that doesn't ring true today.

Theoretically, a split infinitive is when one or more words separate the verb and to (to boldly go). Does anyone know where the person who wrote that copy line went? At this moment, he and the late Gene Roddenberry, creator of Captain Kirk, are probably lounging by the pool of their own private solar system, counting their lucky stars. But let's not confuse good commercial copy with literature.

A word about dialog. Here are two people talking, from David Baldacci's Best Seller, The Camel Club.

"I say you crazy," she responded testily.

"Perhaps you're right and I thank you for your concern," he said politely.

One of the most influential writers of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway probably would have said it this way:

"I say you crazy."

"Perhaps, and I thank you for your concern."

Of course, in the context of the story we have to know who said what. Sometimes the writer must include the he-said-she said. But why clutter the action with unnecessary modifiers when the words speak for themselves?

Coming Next: The writing world has entered the Web's information highway with reckless abandon. But watch out for back roads that lead to bastardizing the English language, and dead-ends where students confuse Jabberwocky with gibberish. My next article On Writing will include how lazy writing for the Web can spill over to the work place, and how to avoid unscrupulous agents that scam unsuspecting writers. They're out there in profusion.

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