1. NaCl

    NaCl Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2008
    Messages:
    1,853
    Likes Received:
    63

    Writing advice from Hemingway...

    Discussion in 'Discussion of Published Works' started by NaCl, Jan 29, 2009.

    I was reading Ernest Hemingway's biography today and found this short passage enlightening. Thought I'd share it...

    In the short time that Hemingway worked for the Kansas City Star he learned some stylistic lessons that would later influence his fiction. The newspaper advocated short sentences, short paragraphs, active verbs, authenticity, compression, clarity and immediacy. Hemingway later said: "Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I've never forgotten them."

    This quote is from The Hemingway Resource Center at this URL:

    http://www.lostgeneration.com/ww1.htm
     
  2. Lemex

    Lemex That's Lord Lemex to you. Contributor

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2007
    Messages:
    10,704
    Likes Received:
    3,425
    Location:
    Northeast England
    I can see that quote hidden behind the text in 'Whom The Bell Tolls'.
    Hemmingway was truly a great writer. I Love that book.
     
  3. NaCl

    NaCl Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2008
    Messages:
    1,853
    Likes Received:
    63
    He was also an editor of a magazine before writing any of his major works. I wonder if his editing experience compares, although on a greater scale, to the developmental benefit our members receive from "reviewing" in this website.
     
  4. Dcoin

    Dcoin New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2008
    Messages:
    278
    Likes Received:
    1
    Location:
    NYC
    I got very interested in Hemmingway's life and times when I visited his house in Key West. The Old Man and The Sea also reminds me of my grandfather.

    He still has a lot to teach an aspiring writer.
     
  5. Leo

    Leo New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2008
    Messages:
    135
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Oxford, UK
    Completely agree. Admire him greatly for his abandonment of fancy writing in exchange for simplistic clarity. He's always been one of my personal strongest influences.
     

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice