Even if you were listening to the Queen’s Christmas Day message back in 2013, you have probably already forgotten that she offered some helpful writing advice. She urged viewers to keep a journal as a record of their lives. Queensland academic Roslyn Petelin recounts this wise counsel from our monarch in this helpful and comprehensive book. Petelin adds to it by noting that journals are not just for recording the events of our lives but can also help to improve our writing and harness creativity.

We’re often told that reading will improve our writing, but here Petelin shows exactly how reading leads to better writing. She is also one of the few authors of writing guides who explicitly urges readers to cultivate a love of words and get into the habit of looking them up in the dictionary in order to use them more effectively. A large vocabulary is such an important part of good writing, but it is almost never mentioned by writing teachers. She quotes a job application letter written by screenwriter Robert Pirosh – who would go on to win an Academy Award – that is a master class in how to write with a feel for the exhilarating things that well-chosen words can do. (Google ‘Robert Pirosh letter’ to find this short and funny piece.)

Petelin includes the usual stuff on commonly confused words and non-inclusive language, and there are lengthy treatments on grammar and punctuation. But she also devotes a chapter to layout and design, topics that are critically important to determining how poorly or easily your writing will be understood.

Reviewed by Tim Graham