Love all of these ! I have one which helps me find the line in between whether I'm writing poetic prose or prose poetry : write a poem, then flesh it out until it's a story — write a story, then prune it down until it's a poem.
Nice list. How about Winston Churchill’s remark after he was criticized for using a preposition at the end of a sentence. “This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.”
V S Naipaul, recommends an exercise for writing well. Try writing pieces where the sentences are no more than 10 - 12 words, containing no adjectives except those referring to colour, size or number and the least number of adverbs. Each sentence must follow the previous as a logical sequence and each paragraph must contain a central idea. Avoid the abstract, use concrete examples. Don't use big words or words whose meaning you are not sure of. It's not as easy as it appears but the effect, in terms of clarity and brevity, is immense. Naipaul says that early in his career, he spent six full months doing only this exercise. It worked; it got him a Nobel Prize in Literature.
Write naked. (Okay, maybe not literally.) Good writing is brave and bare.
Trying not to sound like a sycophant but I really like everything you write. It’s thoughtful and thought provoking. Thank you.
"Not everyone will agree with you, but that's why you wrote it." Thanks Jeff, I needed that reminder.
"... start with what moves you, then pray it moves someone else."
Yes to this.
This is excellent, especially the bit about the passive. Joan Didion would flunk a college creative writing class; she used it all the time.
Jeff: Fantastic insight and not a bit flowery. I can inscribe these on bronze—they are that good. Thank you for giving me permission to write.
If you think of it, and it won't go away, write it! If you feel it needs written, write it.
I have children. They will read it.
Thank you for this!
Love all of these ! I have one which helps me find the line in between whether I'm writing poetic prose or prose poetry : write a poem, then flesh it out until it's a story — write a story, then prune it down until it's a poem.
Love this! Thanks!
Perfectly captured and then tied off beautifully at the end.
I really liked the way you explained them
Nice list. How about Winston Churchill’s remark after he was criticized for using a preposition at the end of a sentence. “This is the type of arrant pedantry up with which I will not put.”
Ok Joel you’ve penned a ripper here 🤌
V S Naipaul, recommends an exercise for writing well. Try writing pieces where the sentences are no more than 10 - 12 words, containing no adjectives except those referring to colour, size or number and the least number of adverbs. Each sentence must follow the previous as a logical sequence and each paragraph must contain a central idea. Avoid the abstract, use concrete examples. Don't use big words or words whose meaning you are not sure of. It's not as easy as it appears but the effect, in terms of clarity and brevity, is immense. Naipaul says that early in his career, he spent six full months doing only this exercise. It worked; it got him a Nobel Prize in Literature.
You explained everything perfectly. Thank you