Whenever I'm asked who my favorite writer is, I refuse to give a definitive answer.
The reason? I have two: Kurt Vonnegut and Ernest Hemingway. They both had the ability to convey so much by saying so little.
Asking me to choose between the two is like asking a 6-year-old to choose between cake and ice cream at a birthday party. The 6-year-old and I will both perplexedly respond, "Can't I have both?"
When I read my new favorite writing blog this morning, I was ecstatic to find an archived post about Hemingway's Top 5 Tips on Writing Well. I agree with author Brian Clark that there's no better figure for marketing writers to emulate. In the media industry, every line is money and space is limited.
Hemingway excelled at the challenge of writing an entire story in just six words:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
He would be a modern copy editor's dream (it's short and sticky).
The one Hemingway tip I hadn't heard of is to be positive. If you're familiar with Hemingway's life (particularly the latter half), you're probably chuckling. What he meant was to carefully choose words that describe what something is, not what it isn't. If you tell your friend something is "painless," she will still focus on the word "pain." A better choice would be "comfortable."
The content of this post reminded me of Vonnegut's "How to Write with Style." Vonnegut, an author, reporter and pr practitioner; knows all about clear, stylistic writing.
Of the writer's tips:
The reason? I have two: Kurt Vonnegut and Ernest Hemingway. They both had the ability to convey so much by saying so little.
Asking me to choose between the two is like asking a 6-year-old to choose between cake and ice cream at a birthday party. The 6-year-old and I will both perplexedly respond, "Can't I have both?"
When I read my new favorite writing blog this morning, I was ecstatic to find an archived post about Hemingway's Top 5 Tips on Writing Well. I agree with author Brian Clark that there's no better figure for marketing writers to emulate. In the media industry, every line is money and space is limited.
Hemingway excelled at the challenge of writing an entire story in just six words:
For sale: baby shoes, never worn.
He would be a modern copy editor's dream (it's short and sticky).
The one Hemingway tip I hadn't heard of is to be positive. If you're familiar with Hemingway's life (particularly the latter half), you're probably chuckling. What he meant was to carefully choose words that describe what something is, not what it isn't. If you tell your friend something is "painless," she will still focus on the word "pain." A better choice would be "comfortable."
The content of this post reminded me of Vonnegut's "How to Write with Style." Vonnegut, an author, reporter and pr practitioner; knows all about clear, stylistic writing.
Of the writer's tips:
- Find a subject you care about.
- Do not ramble, though.
- Keep it simple.
- Have the guts to cut.
- Sound like yourself.
- Say what you mean to say.
- Pity the readers.
The tip I have the most trouble with is the easiest to understand: find a subject you care about. If the subject of an assignment is boring, I usually turn in a boring assignment. To this, Vonnegut says:
"Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style."
Hmm, I should probably revisit this advice more often. So it goes.
What do you think of their tips? Do you agree? Would you add anything else?
"Find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about. It is this genuine caring, and not your games with language, which will be the most compelling and seductive element in your style."
Hmm, I should probably revisit this advice more often. So it goes.
What do you think of their tips? Do you agree? Would you add anything else?
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