Writing Simply...? (Warning: contains a bonus stupid question)

I think one of the best pieces of advice I've ever come across is "write the way people speak." That doesn't mean spinkling four-letter words throughout your prose but writing in a way that makes your readers feel comfortable. Tell the story as if you were telling it to a friend. Most novels I've read follow that rule. It isn't necessary to use $10 words, unless your character is a stiff-necked Uni type who lives on a pedestal and is out to impress people.

There can be nothing more infuriating for a reader than having to run to the dictionary all the time to find out what the author is trying to convey.

When you write you are attempting to communicate. From the message you posted, I'd say you are able to do that very well.

Carmy

Ernest Hemingway was known for simple writing, so you are in good company. I'm sure there are other examples, but he's the one that springs to mind.

On the other hand, I used to think my writing was too simple until I re-read my first draft with pen in hand and realised that the opposite was true.

What I'm hearing is that the internal editor is loose and trying to steal center stage by whispering doubts in your ear. Don't let him (or her). Slap some duct tape over his mouth and tie him back up in the chair where he belongs until you reach The End.

jen.nifer said:

I need some kind of reassurance or reality check so that I can address the problem -- if it is indeed a problem.

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Okay, how's this? In one of my many, many writing books, there's a story of a high school English teacher who was tired of his students trying to sound impressive by filling their essays with big words. So he gave them a new assignment -- to write a one-page essay using only words of one syllable. He was amazed at the results. The students, freed from trying to sound learned, wrote beautiful, poetic and powerful essays.

There's a lot to be said for simple Anglo-Saxon words.

Assuming you're not stuck in a Dick and Jane mode, I don't think you have a problem.

Simple writing

Hi Jennifer - very good question! (As I've heard it said, the only stupid question is the unasked one!)

The danger with 'big' words is that they can very easily sound pretentious and purple-prose-ish, which is to be avoided above all.

I've thought about this a lot, and I truly believe that good writing is about simple words used piercingly honestly. As writers we're painting pictures in our readers' minds, and simple words (used well) that slip effortlessly into their minds serve this purpose tons better than do big words which the reader has to think about and which jerk them out of their submersion in our novel.

Having said that, we are lucky in the English language in that we have so many, many words with so many shades of meanings, which help us as writers. Sometimes you need to use the exact word, even if it's a big word, to get across your exact meaning.

But IMHO, use the 'big' word when it's the only one which will serve the purpose, rather than because you think you should.

As Birol said so well, this is just your internal editor trying to get in your way. Don't buy into its negative whisperings.

Also, can I ask - Scribhneoir, are you Irish?? I see you're based in California but I know, which other members of this august forum may not, that 'Scribhneoir' means writer in Irish. I'm Irish living in Ireland.

jen.nifer said:

Hi all,



but sometimes I think it's a style thing; that I actually prefer to write simply; no matter how many big words there are that try to fight their way to the surface of my brain.

Jen.

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To steal from Mark Twain, you don't want the big word, and you don't want the little word, you want the right word. And as Mark Twain also said, "I never write "metropolis" for seven cents, because I can get the same money for "city".

It isn't the words you use that matter as much as what the words say, and the way they say it. It's the rhythm, the cadence, the syntax, the pace, and the flow that let you write well.

I think Ray Bradbury uses the English language better than any other writer, but he doesn't rely on big words. He manages to write magical sentences with very simple language by use of syntax, by use of the unexpected word, by use of rhythm, etc.

I've always believed good writing is invisible. Readers should see what the words say, not the words themselves. Readers should see a movie projected by the words, real characters walking and talking and feeling, not words representing those characters. For this to happen, you have to make the ink on paper invisible.

On of my favorite writers, William G. Tapply, has a good article about invisinble writing on his website. http://www.williamgtapply.com/iw.html

Perhaps the original poster is misdiagnosing a case of telling-rather-than-showing-itis?

jen.nifer said:

A few comments throughout this thread have boosted my confidence; loved that article that James posted a link to, and I do believe in the 'write how you speak' concept -- I have had people say that about my writing on numerous occasions.

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Here's an idea, Jen. Pick a character who is full of him/herself, and who is also "educated", meaning that person loves to talk over the heads of others, and let that person spin the twenty-dollar words. I did this and it produced some pretty funny results.

jen.nifer said:

Hi all,

Thanks so much for your replies.

It's made me feel better.

A few comments throughout this thread have boosted my confidence; loved that article that James posted a link to, and I do believe in the 'write how you speak' concept -- I have had people say that about my writing on numerous occasions.

Zornhau, I'm constantly conscious of that one, too, (heh) but that wasn't what I was referring to.

So, I should just swat the internal editor and remember BIC, huh?

Thanks again!

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Well, I think there's a difference between an internal editor and an internal critic. I let the internal editor talk his head off, but the internal critic needs to hush. But, yes, I think shutting of the internal critic and remebering BIC is teh best thing any writer can do.

I am a true believer of writing simply (but complex). It's like cooking. Sure, you can use fancy stuff like truffles and lobsters and jellyfish and exotic herbs. But if you're good, you can make magic with the simplest stuff. That takes true talent.

Hi jen.nifer,

In my view, if one is writing with clarity, the length of the words is immaterial.

Tracy said:

Also, can I ask - Scribhneoir, are you Irish?? I see you're based in California but I know, which other members of this august forum may not, that 'Scribhneoir' means writer in Irish. I'm Irish living in Ireland.

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I'm American, lived in California all my life, but my ethnic background is Irish and German. I adore celtic music and fell in love with the Irish language when I visited Ireland back in the 1980s. Hence "Scribhneoir" for my screen name (my real name is Jo). One of these days I'm going to sign up for the Irish language classes offered at the Celtic Arts Center in LA and really learn to speak it.

In the words of Noah Lukeman: "Subtlety is the mark of confidence...A writer who is confident need not prove anything...keep it simple...regardless of your style, become devoted to the craft of writing, for its own sake...if you write for the art of it, then every word is a victory."