Easy Writer

Posted on March 8, 2020 by

It’s no secret I love to read. Been actually busy compiling my next reading list.

I’ve come to recognize prose that’s easy on the eye, traveling swiftly from page to page.

Omit needless words, comes to mind, the advice given in the classic book, Elements of Style, highly recommended to all writers. The author who slims and trims is always the author for me, not just as an entertainer, but a mentor reminding me to prune my own prose.

Hemingway, the king of brevity, said, if there’s a word you feel your story just can’t live without, that’s when you know it’s gotta go.

That rings true for me, since it’s ego based, and since Ernest, who wasn’t exactly an alter boy also said, God is the one doing the writing, it reminds me of the acronym for ego…Easing God Out.

Unless you’re Dickens or Tolstoy, who never met a word they didn’t like, humbly editing yourself is the wiser way to go.

That said.

As a reader, I want to be engaged, not flogged by one’s academia. Some of the finest writers never went to school. Mark Twain, Maya Angelou and Mr. Dickens, to name three.

Let’s toss in Ray Bradbury, Truman Capote and William Faulkner.

Scrolls on the wall are boring, I don’t care how lavishly framed.

When I pick up a book, and yes, I still prefer the weight of one on my lap like a lover whispering in my ear, I expect its contents to take me on a journey, leaving all concerns on the dock waving as we pull out of port.

Good reading should feel like downhill skiing…soft, smooth, the turn of the pages, like the wind in your hair.   

SB

About Susannah Bianchi

I'm just a girl who likes to write slightly on slant. I've had a career in fashion, dabbled in film and to be honest, I don't like talking about myself. Now my posts are another matter so I will let them speak for themselves. My eBooks, A New York Diary, Model Behavior: Friends For Life and Notes From A Working Cat can be found on Amazon.com. Thanks.
This entry was posted in Books, creative writing, Culture, grace, History, humanity, inspiration, words, writing and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

27 Responses to Easy Writer

  1. Anne Mehrling says:
    March 8, 2020 at 7:08 am

    Your prose is always trimmed, so I think it might be compared to sailing, as well as skiing.

    Like

    Reply
  3. Sorryless says:
    March 8, 2020 at 9:53 am

    A book is like a newspaper. Nothing beats the feel of the old school thing.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Gavin & Wyatt says:
    March 8, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    Reading your text is a “breeze.” However, my lack of hair means the wind is NOT in it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. Vasca says:
    March 8, 2020 at 2:54 pm

    Lovely piece, Susannah. I love reading; also love writing. Some time ago I took notice and began cutting words that added nothing. Rather a word habit I decided…appreciate your views on improvement. I always appreciate your writing.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. skinnyuz2b says:
    March 9, 2020 at 6:57 am

    Susannah, although I have a Nook, I always prefer a solid book that I can easily flip back to check or reread a passage.
    I was a technical; writer for ten years and got paid by the word. You better believe I didn’t have extraneous words or I wouldn’t have lasted long.
    If you enjoyed Paul Harvey’s ‘The rest of the story’ way back when, then you will enjoy Mike Rowe’s book ‘The Way I Heard It’.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Jonathan Caswell says:
    March 10, 2020 at 12:20 pm

    Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
    READING IS…LIKE WIND IN YOUR HAIR! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. Dale says:
    March 12, 2020 at 1:16 am

    I’m with you on this, Susannah. I read the whole Anna Karenina because, dammit, I was gonna get through it though honestly, I just wanted to push Anna in front of the train about three hundred pages before she finally threw herself. What is it about Russian writers who feel the need to describe every little itty-bitty detail ad nauseam?
    Writing micro fiction has taught me to trim the fat and I like to think it has carried over to my other stuff.
    Great post.

    Like

    Reply
  9. kindredspirit23 says:
    March 13, 2020 at 11:41 pm

    I do love Ray Bradbury! Hey, forgive for this, but I have been reading you for several years and have never seen a typo or grammatical issue until today. So, have to share (wish it was just with you and not Joe Public, but all your admirers will understand. In this post –
    “Unless your Dickens or Tolstoy, who never met a word they didn’t like, humbly editing yourself is the wiser way to go.” (your should be you’re) That’s all – just a big surprise and, having taught English for years, it just was there…

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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