Frank Lucas?s Style is based on lectures the author gave at Cambridge University in which he expands on ten points of effective prose style with plenty of examples of some of the very best published writing to demonstrate these principles. Each chapter discusses the qualities that make for what Mr Lucas describes as a lucid, varied and emphatic prose style.
Plain prose he suggests should not be far from conversational English, but at the same time writers should be careful not to overuse colloquialism. So striving to achieve a good writing style is a serious business, but not one that we should take so seriously that we fail to bring an element of grace and gaiety to our work.
There are many factors to consider as we develop our individual style, but achieving a balance between them all is perhaps the key factor. It is interesting that the art of writing well (to quote the sub-title) have not changed much across forty years.
