Reddit reviews The Elements of Eloquence: Secrets of the Perfect Turn of Phrase

Here’s the article the author keeps referring to

and here’s the book the article is about

You're INFP, yeah? In addition to creativity, you've got inner values that make you somewhat rebellious and individualistic. Embrace them!

When writing, doubt anything that comes out a little too easily. If it's an idiom, it may be a cliché. If it's a witty turn of phrase, you may have heard it somewhere else before. If it's a word, don't worry; just go with it. Unless you're doing it deliberately, you run the risk of losing your originality.

Think slowly and read and re-read your writing to ensure that it evokes over and again the precise feeling you want it to, or stirs the thoughts you want it to. Whether through wordplay or painting the picturesque, poetry depends on precision in vocabulary, richness in vision, and an eye and an ear for detail.

In matters of technique, to make your words so effective they flutter off the screen and slap you in the face, I recommend brushing up on your rhetoric; there are books that break down the subject a bit easier, and for the past couple months one of the mods at r/OCPoetry has been running a "Poetry Primer" on specific rhetorical devices and poetic forms (et al) using examples from the subreddit.

And whenever you can, practice! Practice makes perfect. Perfect makes poetry. And poetry makes power.

>Next, this book gives you a basic introduction to the field of rhetoric, which is something that writers in this sub don't usually talk very much, but its one of the biggest things you should focus on if you want to improve your writing to the advanced level from basic and intermediate level.

oops. looks like I didn't link to this book properly. Here's the link:

https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/

The Elements of Eloquence is neat. It basically a compendium of rhetorical tools you can use to make better sentences.

You might also be interested in free verse poetry, which, if we're being honest, is nothing but very carefully written prose. I'm currently going through this book and enjoying it.

I also want to second Francine Prose's Reading like a Writer, which someone else already mentioned. It's fantastic.

I go through phases. Sometimes I read poetry (nothing in particular, usually a trip to the library looking for collections instead of one single author). Sometimes I read fiction. Sometimes I read non-fiction.

The other part of the equation is to make sure you're reading actively. It doesn't matter how much you read if you don't really understand it. Pay attention to the way the author says things.

An issue I have with just reading nonfiction books on a particular subject (ie. philosophy as you've stated) doesn't really help if the books are dry. You're wanting to learn how to turn a phrase--you don't get that from a lot of non-fiction. The philosophy part might help you look at the world differently or become more aware of things outside your own point of view, but they don't usually help you understand how to write a crafty sentence (or lyric). In other words, it might give you something to write about, but not how to write about it!

Something else that might help is to read books about writing. Not textbooks, but books about grammar and style. I also recommend books written by successful authors on their own writing.

Two books that I have next to me pretty much always are:

https://www.amazon.com/Sin-Syntax-Craft-Wickedly-Effective/dp/0767903099

and

https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Eloquence-Secrets-Perfect-Phrase/dp/042527618X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483465760&sr=8-1&keywords=elements+of+eloquence

Of course, you can also enroll in a creative writing course. Having guidance and feedback is worth more than most people think.

The Elements of Eloquence is a book about writing style and the elements of rhetoric and written language. I'm not sure how much they apply to other languages (if at all), but it certainly covers English (which you asked about :p )

It's a fun and easy read, whether or not you're a writer, and might be a useful toolbox for someone starting out in the language.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/042527618X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RXduDbKF09DTY