Blink Book Review: “Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences” by Anne Lamott and Neal Allen

By Reba Hull Campbell

I’ve never met an Anne Lamott book I didn’t love. Most I’ve read multiple times.

Anne’s writing is saucy, insightful, sometimes a little edgy, and downright helpful. She is both a teller of great stories and an imparter of excellent writing and life advice (make sure you’ve read Anne’s primer on life and writing, “Bird by Bird”). “Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences” no different, but it brings the added joy of her husband’s expertise and insights fizzled up with hers.

Neal is a successful author, spiritual leader and former journalist making this book a fun two-fer. Although the dual-author format could potentially confuse a reader, their pairing and unique voices feel quite natural to read. 

The introduction, aptly titled “Read This First,” sets the stage for the book’s self-deprecating humor on the part of both writers – I’m guessing to assure unsuspecting readers that they actually do like each other.

Anne notes in her part of the intro that these 36 rules are nothing new. She explains Neal had been using them for teaching for years, and she has adopted the list for her students. This paragraph sums up what they each bring to the book:

Anne writes, “My teaching has mostly been about the attitude of writing . . . Neal tends more toward encouraging people to write better sentences and paragraphs. Hence this book . . .”

This probably explains why I like the sections with Anne’s commentary better than Neal’s discussion of rules – but given my love for her writing style, that tracks perfectly.

The book is laid out through 36 short chapters on writing guidance using parallel grammar titles such as “Use Strong Verbs,” “Dress Up ‘This’” and “Question Transitions.”

My favorite chapter is “Break the Rules,”  advice on when it’s OK to part ways with certain writing rigidities. I’ve written in the past about my personal favorite writing rules to break and was so pleased these writers deliver similar rulings. Bottom line: Break a rule as long as you’re doing it consistently and for a good reason.

This is another book that I’ve marked up and dog-eared while reading it. As I noted in my recent review of  “Say It Well,” about writing and speaking, I will not offer this one up to share with friends, as I normally like to do. “Good Writing” has become part of my reference stack and needs to stay put on my desk (read about a few of my other favorites here).

In 2022, Reba Campbell set out to get off the screens and back to books for the summer. Her accountability was writing short Blink Book Reviews (so short you can read them in a blink). Now it’s an annual summer thing on her Substack, Random Connect Points. Join Reba’s Blink Book Review Facebook group to follow along. Reba is president of Columbia, SC-based The Medway Group and can be reached at [email protected].