High on my list of literary heroes is the late, great C.S. Lewis. One of the most-gifted and prolific authors of this century, Lewis could string words together beautifully for both children stepping into the wardrobe of Narnia and the academic elite stepping on each other’s toes. This talent for word-smithing enabled him to explain the deepest concepts of philosophy and theology in simple yet beautifully elegant prose that nearly anyone can understand.
So when Lewis writes about his writing, as a writer I pay attention. (Did you follow that?) Some months ago, I began reading his exposition on the basics of the Christian faith, Mere Christianity. In the edition that graces my shelves in all its look-how-smart-I-am glory, Lewis explains in the preface that the book is compiled from radio talks he had previously given on air.
He explains that in the previous edition, he had used italics to communicate emphasis made with his voice on the radio. Labeling this a mistake, he continues that the writer has other was to communicate emphasis. Here’s the golden nugget I took away from that reading: strong writing (good copy) communicates a desired emotion or emphasis without typographic manipulation like italics. More succinctly, don’t be lazy about your word choice.
If you want to communicate that something
How words are put together and the relationship that they have to each other in a sentence is known as “syntax.” The syntax of a sentence can change the meaning or emphasis of a sentence.
For example, the sentence:
