Lovely. I read most of your book Out of the Ordinary yesterday, I was thinking how especially easy it was to read. Nice in one way to know that it wasn't easy to write, but still more inspiring to know that you actually like all that faffing.
The importance, but also the time consuming nature of this has been dawning on me recently. I have an intro bit that I was really pleased with, and then looked the next day and realised it's sht, and fiddled and faffed, keep coming back, only about 10 times so far, but hours and hours worth and it's only a few paras and I'm already fed up of it. Hundreds of times. Gulp. So in order not to go bonkers or give up on the whole thing, I am going to 'reframe' it as a satisfying and enjoyable. Nice, thanks Jon.
On that theme, I have this on a piece of paper stuck above my desk from George Orwell which I only found recently:
* Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
* Never use a long word where a short one will do.
* If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
* Never use the passive where you can use the active.
* Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
* Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
And I did a very inspiring workshop run by the Guardian by Joe Moran the guy who wrote a great book, First You Write A Sentence. I got inspired by that too. A book is just a load of sentences. I have in my time written some good sentences, all I have to do is write loads more.
Best of luck with the tour Jon, hope it ends up being the second most enjoyable thing instead of sending you round the bend.
I have always been a lover of long, detailed sentences but one thing you really inspired in me after the Manchester workshop was how powerful a distilled sentence can be. It's totally changed my writing! Thank you again.
PS - Well done for taking good care of yourself during your tour. Mental health goals!
Ah, this has come at the most perfect time Jon, thank you! I’m currently working out how best to edit my own work. This helped a lot. Time for me to get snipping!
When you quoted Olive Wendell Holmes and said it should be stuck over every writing desk, made me wonder if you have anything stuck over yours? For my current book I have two statements that publisher & editor Sharmaine Lovegrove said every writer dreads their readers saying: ‘so what’ and ‘as if’
William Zinsser's On Writing Well is one of the best books on the subject of paring down your sentences. Though I quite Sydney Smith's advice from the early 19th century, if a bit unusual: "In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigour it will give your style." (Looking forward to your tour – tickets bought!)
Lovely. I read most of your book Out of the Ordinary yesterday, I was thinking how especially easy it was to read. Nice in one way to know that it wasn't easy to write, but still more inspiring to know that you actually like all that faffing.
The importance, but also the time consuming nature of this has been dawning on me recently. I have an intro bit that I was really pleased with, and then looked the next day and realised it's sht, and fiddled and faffed, keep coming back, only about 10 times so far, but hours and hours worth and it's only a few paras and I'm already fed up of it. Hundreds of times. Gulp. So in order not to go bonkers or give up on the whole thing, I am going to 'reframe' it as a satisfying and enjoyable. Nice, thanks Jon.
On that theme, I have this on a piece of paper stuck above my desk from George Orwell which I only found recently:
* Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print.
* Never use a long word where a short one will do.
* If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.
* Never use the passive where you can use the active.
* Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.
* Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
And I did a very inspiring workshop run by the Guardian by Joe Moran the guy who wrote a great book, First You Write A Sentence. I got inspired by that too. A book is just a load of sentences. I have in my time written some good sentences, all I have to do is write loads more.
Best of luck with the tour Jon, hope it ends up being the second most enjoyable thing instead of sending you round the bend.
I have always been a lover of long, detailed sentences but one thing you really inspired in me after the Manchester workshop was how powerful a distilled sentence can be. It's totally changed my writing! Thank you again.
PS - Well done for taking good care of yourself during your tour. Mental health goals!
Ah, this has come at the most perfect time Jon, thank you! I’m currently working out how best to edit my own work. This helped a lot. Time for me to get snipping!
Wishing you safe travels and a semblence of sanity.
Have fun Jon!
When you quoted Olive Wendell Holmes and said it should be stuck over every writing desk, made me wonder if you have anything stuck over yours? For my current book I have two statements that publisher & editor Sharmaine Lovegrove said every writer dreads their readers saying: ‘so what’ and ‘as if’
In addition to the above I also have this from Chip and Dan Heath's Made to Stick 'Why some ideas survive another's die' which I like:
Simplicity
Unexpectedness
Concreteness
Credibility
Emotions
Stories
This is all very good advice.
Sorry.
Let me rephrase that.
Good advice.
haha! I think you should shorten it to "Very good advice"
Haaaaaaaa.
Uh. Sorry.
Ha.
"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." — Mark Twain.
William Zinsser's On Writing Well is one of the best books on the subject of paring down your sentences. Though I quite Sydney Smith's advice from the early 19th century, if a bit unusual: "In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigour it will give your style." (Looking forward to your tour – tickets bought!)