Editing Tips from the BBC

The venerable BEEB, all things in an English voice, offers great services to writers through the "BBC Get Writing" section of its website.

From the section on Re-work and Edit come these useful annotated links:

Guide to Grammar and Style
One concerned individual's comprehensive guide to good grammar and style. Much easier to read than Strunk and White.

Strunk and White's The Elements of Style
The online edition of the 1914 tome which is a terrifying, if amusing, read. Not one to follow religiously, but worth a look for the sheer contempt they show those less than grammatically correct.

Aw, c'mon. I wouldn't be so hard on S&W, after all, they are the foundation for good writing, the very bedrock of style!

You might want to read the rest of the BEEB's advice about revising and editing your own work, because it contains extensive lists of pitfalls to watch for and tools to tighten up your writing. The advice on eliminating adjectives caught my eye and I must meditate upon:

Write an original 300-word piece without using adjectives (for example take 'the sea' as a broad topic ). The main practical outcome of this exercise is ( possibly unconscious) development of the use of metaphor. It also raises awareness of style in general and addresses one important aspect of voice.

Just metaphors, I wonder. What about similes? And on adverbs (another "no-no" in this century), the BEEB advocates using the exact right verb to depict action, one that requires no modifier for description.

Does the British writing style sound dull and colorless? Have Americans become flabby in writing and reading habits, relying on crutches to carry a story along?