The most important thing

     William Faulkner said there is something more important than talent to be an effective writer. He said, "The most important thing is insight, that is, to be curious, to wonder, to mull and to muse why it is that man does what he does. And if you have that, then I don't think talent makes much difference, whether you've got it or not."
     (Editor's note: Don't kid yourself. Talent helps.)

Oldies but goodies

We've been bringing you The Writing Life for a year now. Let's look back at some of the thoughts we've expressed, many of which need no further explanation.
1. A story is where people come to dream - and you are in charge of that dream.
2. Get beyond the tick-tock.
3. Make 'em glad, make 'em mad, make 'em sad.
4. Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, make 'em wait.
5. Make new things familiar and familiar things new.
6. When in doubt, leave it out.
7. Never use a large word when a diminutive one will do.
8. Make every word tell.
9. Intend every word you write.
10. No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader.
11. You must not come lightly to the blank page.
12. Experience the world through all of your senses.
13. Take the facts and give them vitality.
14. The power of the offering is the measure of its excellence.

Oh, those adjectives

     Adjectives cause more problems than they solve. Many beginning writers load their sentences with adjectives as if to prove they know how to write. Often, they prove just the opposite. Look at the following sentence. "The tall, slender man with reddish hair, a big nose, sideburns that were not even and a two-day growth of beard, sat on a green park bench that was splintery and needed painting and laid his small knapsack down next to him." Now lets get rid of the adjectives. "The man sat on a park bench and laid his knapsack down next to him." It's a simple sentence that sets the stage for the next sentence. And isn't that an important purpose of any sentence? I want to know where the man came from, where he is going and what's in the knapsack. The color of his hair is not important; worse, it is irrelevant. The late Martin Yoseloff, an author friend and mentor, used to complain about sentences that had "too much furniture." It was hard for the reader to walk through them.
I leave you with this sentence to ponder. "With long, flowing brown hair, twinkling blue eyes, a nose of perfect proportion, pouting lips and an hour-glass figure, Angela had looks that were beyond description."     

The lasting effect

"What lasts in the reader's mind is not the phrase but the effect the phrase created: laughter, tears, pain, joy. If the phrase is not affecting the reader, what's it doing there? Make it do its job or cut it out without mercy or remorse." -- Isaac Asimov