Quote by Circle_SomethingQuote by authorised1960Quote by AvrgBlkGrl
Every word should be necessary. Ask yourself why it is there. If you can remove it and it changes nothing, than remove it. It was a waste of energy to write and a waste of energy to be read.
This sort of unctuous pronouncement really galls me!
Every writer - be they a bestselling author or rank amateur - has a writing style or 'voice'. It's what defines them as a wordsmith. As someone who enjoys words and enjoys using them in my writing to read the sort of self-serving b.s. like the quote above reads as though my style of writing is somehow inferior because it does not conform to someone else's definition of what is 'right' or 'wrong' in writing. I'm sorry, but that sort of attitude is extraordinarily patronising!
If I was to edit my own work and cut out all the (so-called) extraneous words I have used not only would my works be considerably shorter, obviously, but they would also lose that special ingredient that made it MY work. I would, in effect, be losing my writing voice for the sake of a fashion statement by someone whose opinion doesn't really matter one way or another!
One of the big issues around being a writer is the deluge of (allegedly) helpful information out there for beginners. In my opinion most of it can be ditched along with the empty snack packet and chocolate bar wrapper, for that's about as much use it is. My personal advice would be to take and utilse the advice that best serves your needs. You cannot be all things to all people in life so not everybody is going to love what you write. You will, though, establish your own fan-base in time and it is to those readers and fans that your work should be addressed, not the smug, the pompous and the oh-so ful of themselves authors who seem to believe that they are God's gift to literature!
I think you've misunderstood the spirit of the quote. It isn't saying that you shouldn't write in your own style, but merely saying to remove unnecessary wastes of space. For example:
"The knife was dull, so he got out his sharpening stone and sharpened it" is an okay sentence, but it doesn't exactly grab you, and it does, in fact, trip over itself because of the repetition of the sound "sharp".
Consider "The man smiled as he listened to the sound of the sharpening stone on his favourite knife."
That's more interesting because I'm showing, rather than telling, that the knife is dull and needing sharpening. There are no wasted words there, no repetition of sounds, and gets the point across rather well, I think.
If you don't like some advice given, the simplest thing to do is to ignore it, not attack it. Those "oh-so ful of themselves authors who seem to believe that they are God's gift to literature!" have worked hard to get to where they are. They have the respect of their peers, publishers and readers. What do you have? Hypocrisy, is what you have. You're sitting there lambasting people for being full of themselves, yet you seem to think that your advice is the best advice in the world.
I'm not perfect, and I admit that in several musings and forum posts, but at least I don't go attacking fellow writers when they give advice.
Well said and thank you CS. I always look forward to reading you comments.
first time trying
