Vonnegut never took himself too seriously, and I don't think you should, either. Lol. But you're right, they are making a comeback.
I use semi-colons all the time in my work-related writing. Occasionally in fiction. I don't believe in the ban of any tool in the writer's toolbox.
How can one even write effectively without using semicolons, colons, dashes of sorts, and commas. Is it another example of modern writing? Dry and dumbed down for the masses.
Might be my all-time favorite quote about writing: "Writing stopped being fun when I discovered the difference between good writing and bad and, even more terrifying, the difference between it and true art. And after that, the whip came down." Truman Capote
Lol. I'm pretty sure this was exactly Vonnegut's intention when he said this: make writers fall all over themselves defending something as minor as the semicolon. His writing style is extremely dry and ironic, so everyone would do well to assume there is a lot of the very facetiousness he's famous for sprinkled within that quote.
To me it's like saying, lets smash out the wall to remove a nail, and then just plaster over it, instead of actually using the proper tool, saving ourselves a shit ton of work.
It seems like you're still refusing to see beyond the words on the page, despite much explanation. Maybe this will put it into context: "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different." - Kurt Vonnegut No? Sigh. Never mind.
Someone is sassy today! I never explicitly said he was being sarcastitc, no. I said that his writing style is ironic and dry, so one should probably assume that he's being facetious.
Though he's an architect, I can't take credit for all my wordplay: "I like the accidents that happen when the hand is moving ahead of the mind." -- Siamak Hariri
Vonnegut writes a lot of satire, and uses it to get his feelings about socialism out. Basically he uses his writing to give attention to things whether he is saying it is right or wrong.
Ah, right. I understand. The blunt absurdity makes more sense now. When you look at it this way, it's actually quite good.
"What is generally true about writing--that it is an act of aggression disguised as an act of charity." ~David Bartholomae, Iventing the University.
You and I are all as much continuous with the physical universe as a wave is continuous with the ocean. Alan Watts
The only problem is that Hemingway didn't actually say that. http://mattwie.be/2011/12/1345/ It's in the second comment down, and backed up with links, but to save time I'll quote it here,
I love and hate: "In writing, you must kill your darlings.” --William Faulkner The other day I wrote a paragraph that rather elegantly described the back story of a character. I loved it, loved her story and I had some darn good words in there. I tried the scene I was writing without it and pace, direction and flow improved dramatically. Damn it. On the up side I put the paragraph aside to become a short story.
I think, maybe, we must kill our darlings and, instead, liken the idea more to hiding our motives. "To touch the soul of another human being is to walk on holy ground." ~ Stephen Covey
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain
Writing and nailing jello to the wall, have much in common. They both test your determination, and your will power to succeed. They differ in the fact that once you've nailed the jello to the wall, you don't feel the need to do it again- Cave Troll
