The power of rhetoric
Speaking of Roy Peter Clark, ...

Next on my reading list

Today I received two books that I look forward to reading: How to Write Short by Roy Peter Clark, and Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch by Constance Hale. I’ve learned a lot from these writers’ prior books, so I’ll go into these with high expectations.

One thing I’ll suggest for anyone looking for reading material to become a better legal writer: Don’t stick to legal-writing books. It’s been said (I think by Bryan Garner) that good legal writing is just good writing applied to legal topics. So look for books by and for non-legal, non-fiction writers. Don’t get me wrong: there are many worthwhile books focused on legal writing. I’m just saying that if you really want to excel, if you want to be a leader rather than a follower, then you need to open your mind to ideas outside of whatever world you labor in.

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