Brain Pickings, the insightful thoughts of Maria Popova, writer of Wired UK and The Atlantic is currently our favourite blog and we have been long standing supporters of her interesting pieces. Her latest piece, How to Write with Style: Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Keys to the Power of the Written Word is certainly worth a read:
Kurt Vonnegut has given us some of the most timeless advice on the art and craft of writing — from his 8 rules for a great story to his insights on the shapes of stories to his formidable daily routine. But hardly anything examines the subject with a more potent blend of practical advice and heart than Vonnegut’s 1985 essay“How to Write with Style,” published in the wonderful anthology How to Use the Power of the Printed Word (UK; public library). Vonnegut begins with an admonition against the impersonal sterility of journalistic reporting — something particularly important amidst contemporary debates about how personal the writerly persona should be — and a meditation on the single most important element of style [and then] goes on to outline eight rules for great writing:
1. Find a Subject You Care About
2. Do Not Ramble, Though
3. Keep It Simple
4. Have the Guts to Cut
5. Sound like Yourself
6. Say What You Mean to Say
7. Pity the Readers
8. Really Detailed Advice