PG is on to something here, which is that when most people try to make their prose better, they do it the wrong way. They make the language stilted, they add si

PG is on to something here, which is that when most people try to make their prose better, they do it the wrong way. They make the language stilted, they add silly descriptions (such as "the mercurial Spaniard"). But, writing is different from speech, and you can learn techniques specifically to make your writing better. I highly recommend Steven Pinker's new book "The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century" http://amzn.to/1LVI7eJ http://amzn.to/1LVI7eJ He has many concrete tips for improving your writing.