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25 Non-Random Things About Writing Short
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write it long!
Posted by
cliff barney
3/13/2009 3:13:28 PM
it was mme de sevigné, i ithink, who apologized for writing a long letter because she did not have time to write a short one....
it was mme de sevigné, i ithink, who apologized for writing a long letter because she did not have time to write a short one. nevertheless i think it is a mistake to set up mere brevity as the prime communications skill. yes,it is sometimes helpful to be terse,but it is also useful to ramble and develop themes that lead to unusual places. the great writers - joyce, tolstoy, proust, melville - have always been long-winded. here's a shout-out to long sentences, semicolons, parentheses, and all the tricks of the trade that keep a thought from being neatly encapsulated.
No Pulitzers
Posted by
Robert Curran
3/9/2009 2:58:45 PM
Nobody ever won a Pulitzer by writing short. The fault lies in the prize-givers not the writers or the short stories.
Nobody ever won a Pulitzer by writing short. The fault lies in the prize-givers not the writers or the short stories.
like 21
Posted by
Stan Kewy
3/3/2009 11:10:00 AM
cut off the dead branches before shaking out he dead leaves. it's so true. i remember attending a seminar which taught us to tackle the...
cut off the dead branches before shaking out he dead leaves. it's so true. i remember attending a seminar which taught us to tackle the big issues first before tacklling the smaller ones.nice article.
The Importance of Clarity
Posted by
Judy Seaman
2/16/2009 8:06:07 AM
These are all great suggestions. I love Number
10 ("Brevity comes from selection, not compression.") because it highlights the importance of cri...
These are all great suggestions. I love Number
10 ("Brevity comes from selection, not compression.") because it highlights the importance of critically thinking about what you are writing and how you are conveying your thoughts. It's a great exercise in clarity.
Thanks.
Judy Seaman
judithanneseaman.com
reminds me of a story...
Posted by
Deann Alford
2/10/2009 4:15:11 PM
At Louisiana Tech 20 years ago I was doing my obligatory service at the school's weekly paper, where everybody had to turn in two briefs...
At Louisiana Tech 20 years ago I was doing my obligatory service at the school's weekly paper, where everybody had to turn in two briefs each week. One student wrote hers 12 inches long. When the news editor explained why that wasn't acceptable, she was stunned but then jumped to defend herself: "But I didn't know briefs had to be short."
May I add?
Posted by
Kathlin Sickel
2/10/2009 1:14:31 PM
Another way to practice this skill:
U cn gt btr at shrt writng by txtng! Try 2 convey 1 or 2 impt cncpts tht way....
Another way to practice this skill:
U cn gt btr at shrt writng by txtng! Try 2 convey 1 or 2 impt cncpts tht way. Evryday. Avoid ltr S & Z whn u cn.
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