The Big Read at Kansas City Public Library

Well, maybe not quite. But you can certainly improve your own writing style by following some of the guidelines provided in The Star Copy Style sheet.

Ernest Hemingway received a copy of these guidelines during his first days on the job and has credited the Kansas City Star with helping him shape his signature style.

Here are some of the more interesting “rules”:

“Say patrolmen not in uniform, not plain clothes men. Do not use cop.”

“Don’t say ‘He had his leg cut off in an accident.’ He wouldn’t have had it done for anything.”

“He died of heart disease, not heart failure–everybody dies of ‘heart failure.’ “

“The words donate and donation are barred from the columns of The Star. Use give or contribute. The use of raise in the sense of obtaining money has been forced into usge where no other word seems to do as well. But raise is not a noun.”

“A man is not arrested for ‘investigation.’ There is no such charge as ‘investigation.’ “

Sound advice for fledgling writers.