Surgical writing...and living.

We should not write so that it is possible for the reader to understand us,
but so that it is impossible for him to misunderstand us.
      --Quintilian (Marcus Fabius Quintilianus), rhetorician (c. 35-100)

Clarity and concision--always? Sometimes? Gosh, scanning some books, espec modern writers, clarity is certainly absent. Even in non-fiction!

Okay, I'll grant, there's room for writing that has a certain smoky haze about it, and a touch of floweriness. But, woe betide the writer who falls in love with verbiage at the expense of pace. Sez me...and Stephen King, and Leonard Elmore...and anyone else who thinks Faulkner and Thos. Wolfe would have been better off if they'd encountered strong-willed editors. I recently tried to go back and read some Faulkner...it felt like trying to swim in molasses. (But, it was not sweet!)

Writing--like cleaning out your closets and dressers--you'll rarely suffer if you ruthlessly root out old, useless, over-adorned, or shopworn items. As we'd joke with the surgeons--"A chance to cut is a chance to cure!" and..."If in doubt, cut it out!" But, you may ask, "Since...to a boy with a hammer suddenly everything looks like a nail...what about a surgeon with a scalpel?" Probably best to trust that they've somewhat outgrown their boyish urges...altho a second opinion is often a good idea!

What if you weren't born with a ruthless gene? Employ someone who is so endowed...at home, facing bulging closets/bureaus/shelves/garage, that'd be a spouse or family member or friend. In writing, facing turgid prose, that'd be called a "first reader" or an editor...or both...and, as with surgery, second/third opinions may be just the right move!

Got an opinion to share? Want a second opinion yourself? ["Okay, and you're ugly, too!"]

Do me a favor...if you find this blog interesting, then kindly copy the address and forward it to somebody who shares your interest in reading, or humor, or blogging, or whatever. And/or, leave me a comment when/if I have hit a resonant chord with you. Thnx, David.