Struk and White...First Impressions

In the introduction to The Elements of Style, E.B. White describes his former professor, William Strunk Jr., as a capable and informative writing instructor, but also describes him as having "a number of likes and dislikes that were almost as whimsical as the choice of a necktie" (xvi). White's portrait of Strunk as both practical and persnickety is indicative of the information contained in the handbook as well as what I found useful and not useful. Some suggestions are solid and others read like a list of pet peeves.
One of the solid suggestions I will keep in mind is Rule #12: "Choose a suitable design and hold to it." I am a planner. I make outlines before I write to stop myself from wandering aimlessly on the page, but I do not think about my ultimate message. I often find myself at the end of writing satisfied that I've covered all of the topics I set out to cover and, yet, wondering what I've really said, what implications my writing has, and if I've added anything new to the conversation. The "design" I am going to think of as my overall message and this passage I believe will be useful for me to remember: "The first principle of composition...is to foresee the or determine the shape of what is to come and pursue that shape" (15).
Another valuable section of The Elements of Style is "An Approach to Style." I love the firmly cautionary, but gently reassuring tone of this chapter. It is difficult to put one's finger on what separates good writing from bad and the interesting from the bland. Strunk and White concede that fact and give some guidelines to moving toward developing a writing style that works for the writer and the reader.
What I find useless, yet entertaining, is the section "Words and Expressions Commonly Misused." I don't think the entire section is useless, but Strunk's fussiness shines. Yes, some words words are used up and no good for formal papers, many people do mix up "affect" and "effect." I will be the first to admit I use "that" and "the fact that" too much; my writing can be trimmed down. The previous, and other, helpful word usage tips, though, are tempered with tips I can't believe ever made it into the book. For instance, the pure hatred for the suffix -ize is a bit strange, an entire entry for the word "facility," "thrust" being a "showy noun...hinting of sex" (61). The oddities abound. My favorite useless tip falls under the entry for "flammable" when Strunk says "Unless you are operating such a truck and hence are concerned with the safety of children and illiterates, use inflammable" (47). The blend of insightful and idiosyncratic makes for interesting reading while learning about writing; don't get me wrong, I like the weird.
My first impression of The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is good. I think I will actually store in my mind and call into use from time to time the tidbits of knowledge contained within it. If nothing else, envisioning a prim and particular little man pointing at me when I fail to trim "that" from my writing will help me in my writing life.