Mark Twain Quitting Smoking Quote
Points on the drafting of the authors of the note
by Philip Yaffe
When I was introduced to social gatherings, the host or hostess usually says: "Hi, I want you to meet Philip Yaffe. He is a professional writer. "I'm almost always the same answer:" Oh, really. What kind of novels do you write? "In other words, people automatically associate the term" writer "with" literature " as if fiction was the only type of writing. It is not. And for most ordinary people, like me, it is the least important, but it always seems to take a prominent place.
Scholastic snobbery has a lot to do with it.
Virtually all secondary schools and many universities require students to take courses in literature. However, virtually no one who takes these courses will never write a novel, a play, a film script, or any other form of fiction. On the other hand, few schools and universities require students to take writing courses non-fiction. Yet, almost everyone needs these skills to produce reports, memos, letters, marketing plans, corporate magazines, and all other types of non-fiction texts essential to achieve in life.
Internet searches for quotations about writing almost turn invariable thought of novelists, poets, playwrights, etc., again, as if fiction were the only category of writing any accordingly.
I have done such research in order to develop this article. At first I was disappointed by the results unbalanced, but on other reflection, they proved to be quite fortuitous.
I normally make a distinction clear distinction between "writing" of creation (fiction) and "writing exhibition" (non-fiction). In fact, this difference is the basis a book I wrote recently on the subject, where I explained how and why they are really very different kinds. Nevertheless, when considering the estimate, it became clear that the feelings and emotions of good writers in both genres are remarkably similar.
Thus if we are creative writers (the small minority of us) or exposure of authors (the vast majority of us), we can all learn something from these leading practitioners writing.
For convenience, I tried to classify their insightful quotes. However, creative writing and writing of exposure are both very unified activities. Their fundamental features are so closely interwoven that any attempt to separate them must necessarily fail. However, pretending to sever helps organize our thoughts. So, without apology for the "misplaced" quotations, here is what these respected writers had to say.
1. The Essence of Good Writing
Inventor Thomas Edison once said: "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." In other words, it's hard work. The same is true writing, both creation and exhibition. This is good news because it means that even the least inspired of us can write, if we are willing to spend all the energy needed.
Here's some more quotes on the same line.
"A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than for others. "- Thomas Mann-
"The secret of good writing is to say an old thing in a new way or to say something new in an old. "- – Richard Harding Davis
Is Good writing clear thinking made visible. "- – Bill Wheeler
"Writers must constantly ask: what I mean? Surprising often they do not know. "- – William Zinsser
"There are two kinds of writers in the world of writers and bad writers improve. "- – William Blundell
"Every writer I know has trouble writing." – - Joseph Heller
"Good writing is a job difficult "- – Snoopy (Charles Schulz)
2. Writing as Discovery
"I know very vaguely when I began what will happen. I have a very general idea, and then the thing develops as I write. "- – Aldous Huxley
"It There are thousands of thoughts lying within a man he did not know until he takes the pen and wrote. " – - William Makepeace Thackeray
"The act of writing is the act of discovering what you believe." – - David Hare
"Writing became such a process of discovery that I could not wait to go to work every morning. I wanted to know what I mean. " – - Sharon O'Brien
"I never know what I think about something until I read what I wrote about him." – - William Faulkner
In other words, if you think you have nothing to say, choose a topic and start writing. You can be surprised.
3. The goals of good writing
"We are cups, constantly and quietly being filled. The trick is to know how we reverse and let the beautiful things to – - Ray Bradbury
"I am writing because I am afraid to say certain things aloud" – - Anonymous.
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which others may think." – - Edwin Schlossberg
"When I sit at my desk, time seems to disappear. I think it's a wonderful way to spend his life "- – Erica Jong
4. The techniques of good writing
"The faster I write, the better my output. If I go slow, I'm in trouble. It means that I'm pushing the words instead of being driven by them. "- – Raymond Chandler
"Work hard at the beginning of your story so that traps player instantly. And how you end your story before you start writing. Without a sense of direction, you can lose yourself in the middle. "- – Joan Lowery Nixon
"Detail makes the difference between boring and terrible writing. It is the difference between a pencil sketch and a lush oil painting. As a writer, words are the paint. Use all the colors. "- – Rhys Alexander
"What I like in a good author is not what he says but what he whispers." – - Logan Pearsall Smith.
"Cut out all those exclamation points. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own jokes." – - F. Fitzgerald
"Nothing is as simple as it can not be misunderstood – - Teague Jr.
5. Writing and rewriting
"I am not a very good writer, but I am an excellent writer. "- – James Michener
"With imagination, you need one hour to write a paragraph that, if you were unimaginative would take you only a minute. Or you could not write the paragraph at all. "- – Franklin P. Adams
"Write your first draft with your heart. Re-write with your head. "- – Anonymous
"The time to start writing an article is when you are done to your satisfaction. At this point you begin to see clearly and logically what you really want to say. "- – Mark Twain
"I This letter is [] more, because I have not had time to make it short "- – Blaise Pascal
"I have not had time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead. "- – Mark Twain
In other words, the first draft is almost always too long and poorly structured. To be clear and concise requires at least a second project, and often more. Or to put it more succinctly:
"The first draft something is sh * t "- – Ernest Hemingway
6. Clarity and conciseness
"When something can be read without effort, great effort has was devoted to his writing. "- – Enrique Jardiel Poncela
"Easy reading is damn hard writing." – - Nathaniel Hawthorne
"What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." – - Samuel Johnson
"Resist the temptation try to use dazzling style to conceal the weakness of the substance. "
– - Stanley Schmidt
"Do not write only to be understood. Write so that you can not possibly be misunderstood. "- – Robert Louis Stevenson
The author is most great benefit that gives the reader the most knowledge and takes him less time. "- – Sydney Smith
7. Style & Words
"I love write. I love the swirl and swing of words as they tangle with human emotions. "- – James Michener
"A good style must show no sign of effort. What is written should seem a happy accident. "Somerset Maugham – - W.
"You write to communicate the hearts and minds of others what burns in you. And we change it so the fire show through the smoke. – - Arthur Polotnik
"Writers must rely more on the meaning of a sentence on the precepts of a book of rules. "- – James J. Kilpatrick
"As stones, words are laborious and unforgiving, and assembling them together like assembling stones, requires patience and strength of purpose and skill. "- – Edmund Morrison
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. "- – Mark Twain
8. Selfishness Unbound
Few writers have always the opportunity to quote. I do not know if something I never said remembers a hundred years, or even a hundred minutes from now. But they worth, here are some ideas that I have encountered, developed, and believes in more than 40 years.
"Convoluted writing is easy, it takes little thought. Simple writing is difficult, it takes all the thinking, you can gather – and then some. "
Simple writing is a challenge rewards are endless. Once a writer is aware, all the rest falls into place. "
"Speak Good writing – and by extension good – that depend on a few basic principles. Once you've mastered these, all the tips and techniques for applying them are almost self-evident. "
"Clarity can be defined as a quasi-mathematical, which is also a recipe for effective implementation. To be clear, you must do three things:
1. Focus on what is of paramount importance.
2. To emphasize what is of importance secondary.
3. Eliminate what does not matter.
In short: CL = EDE
"Brevity can be defined as a quasi-mathematical, which is also a recipe for effective implementation. To be concise, your text should be as:
1. For a long time necessary, ie to adequately cover all the essential
2. Short as possible, ie avoid unnecessary words, sentences and paragraphs
In short: CO = LS
"Clarity and brevity are two sides of same coin. To Clearly, you must be concise. unnecessary verbiage obscures, it must be eliminated. Similarly, to be concise, you must be clear. Only knowing exactly what you mean you can eliminate obscure words, sentences and paragraphs.
"Writing is like cooking. You assemble ingredients and begin mixing. When the inert liquid begins to harden and take shape, you know you are a cake. For me, the feeling is really physical. "
"Continually ask:" Why on earth would anyone want to read what I write? If you can give at least three good reasons to stop writing and start thinking. Otherwise, you will be wasting everyone's time – mainly yours. "
"Reach for the smallest common denominator. Virtually no one will object that your text is too easy, but some may argue it's too hard. Focus on those do not understand, they are your true audience. The others do not suffer. "
"The fundamentals of good writing and oral are few and easy to understand. Unfortunately, most books on the subject which buried under an avalanche of tips and tricks. "
After just written a book myself, let me conclude with something I wish I'd said, but in fact, comes from someone else. "Inside every fat book there is a thin book to come out of evil" – - Anonymous
Amen.
Philip Yaffe is a former journalist Columnist / with the Wall Street Journal and a consultant in marketing communications. He currently teaches a writing class and good talk in Brussels, Belgium. His book recently published in the "I" of the storm: the secrets of writing and speaking simple (almost) like a professional (84 pages) is available Story from The editors of Ghent, Belgium (storypublishers.be) and Amazon (amazon.com).
For more information, please contact:
Philip Yaffe
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 (0) 2660 0405
Email: @ yahoo.com phil.yaffe
About the Author
Philip Yaffe is a former writer with The Wall Street Journal and international marketing communication consultant. Now semi-retired, he teaches courses in persuasive communication in Brussels, Belgium. Because his clients use English as a second or third language, his approach to writing and public speaking is somewhat different from other communication coaches. He is the author of The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking like a Professional. Contact: phil.yaffe@yahoo.com.
