Extreme Prose

Has anybody had any experience applying any of the ExtremeProgrammingPractices to the development of literature (prose) as opposed to software? The reason I ask is because, in many respects, both are very much about communication and simplicity (e.g, being clear and concise).

Right now I think my biggest "writing hurdle" is verboseness and I've been reading several books to help. I have improved somewhat, but I still have a ways to go. I like Joseph Williams book a lot ("Style: Ten Lessons Toward Clarity and Grace") and also "TheElementsOfStyle" (and about 1-2 others).

In this particular area, I haven't found any supremely useful "patterns for parsimony" other than spending lots of time to mercilessly refactor my prose (RefactorMercilessly) in an attempt to say things OnceAndOnlyOnce in the simplest way possible (at least within the same section anyway, in exposition we have good reason to repeat certain messages at start and finish. ;-)

Use fewer adjectives. In general, avoid needless words, as TheElementsOfStyle advises.

Thanks. I've seen those. I'm looking for things at perhaps a broader level. Many times there are things we write where we truly believe each word written is quintessential. And the verboseness lies not so much in too many words or adjectives in a single sentence, but in too many sentences, or too many paragraphs (even when each sentence or paragraph may seem quite clear and concise on its own). Some of them have to do with sizing the scope "just right" and knowing your audience, when more detail is necessary, and when it's unwarranted.

Thanks. I need more, maybe something more broad. Often each word we write seems essential. Are we trying to get across too many ideas at once? Are we misjudging our audience? How can we tell? [Attempted paraphrase/edit]

Great! That's exactly what I need!

RevisingBusinessProse, about the same thickness as TheElementsOfStyle, gave much more concrete advice. I think of it whenever I teach use cases, because much of the advice in my course matches that book, "Write: Who is kicking whom?" in each sentence. That one change alone shortens my writing.

The other advice I got was to write my presentations with a sentence as the slide header (not a phrase). In a 1-hour talk, spending 3 minutes per overhead, there can only be time for 18 of these sentences. Try writing whatever you want to say in 18 sentences / hour of talking. It sharpens the mind and the pen wonderfully. -- AlistairCockburn

I used to try to squeeze out every bit of redundancy from my writing, too. Then I met CarlSandburg? through the delightful pages of the RootabagaStories? and then SandburgsLincoln?. OnceAndOnlyOnce does not apply to writing.

Where I find XP helps is in managing the strategy of writing. The critical decision in writing what you aren't going to address. ThePlanningGame? is a structure for figuring that out. -- KentBeck

XpBookStories is about "the extreme way" that the practitioners are using to write ExtremeProgramming books. Essentially, they discuss iterative development and incremental releases, i.e., they're writing several small books, and using each as feedback for what to write in the next book.

Also consider BugsInWriting. -- MichaelSchuerig

I have BugsInWriting. I think it's wonderful and have two copies (one at work and one at home). It's mostly about correct usage of grammar and punctuation; it doesn't say much about how to revise for conciseness and clarity. [Don't underestimate the importance of correct form (says a WikiGnome who just added a few needed apostrophes to this section of the page).]

The Williams book cited above says a lot about conciseness and clarity. It also provides ammunition for taking on rigid grammarians.

I know (I cited it ;-). I love it too. But I think it's better at showing good clear sentence structure and paragraph structure. I found the chapter on revising for conciseness to be less plentiful than I'd hoped.

I did just run across a book with a title of interest to pattern-folk: The Art of Styling Sentences: 20 Patterns for Success, by Marie L. Waddell et.al. ISBN 0812014480

See VlissidesOnBeck, where Kent tells the wonderful story of how he sat down with WardCunningham, KenAuer, RonJeffries, and MartinFowler to collectively write the first 120 manuscript pages of PlayingToWin on a private wiki. -- FrankWestphal