Writers on Writing Continued

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I love good quotes. Here are a few I’ve come across recently that inspired me or made me think. Feel free to share, pin, etc.

H.W. Fowler

Prefer the familiar word to the far-fetched. Prefer the concrete word to the abstract. Prefer the single word to the circumlocution. Prefer the short word to the long. Prefer the Saxon word to the Romance.

~HENRY WATSON FOWLER

Dan Poynter QuoteIf you wait for inspiration to write; you’re not a writer, you’re a waiter. ~ Dan Poynter

Slack Attention“The secret of popular writing is never to put more on a page than the common reader can lap off it with no strain whatsoever on his habitually slack attention.” ~Ezra Pound

Pound wrote in the 1920s, remember. Apparently, this complaint isn’t new.

Brander Matthews Quote“To be clear is the first duty of a writer; to charm and to please are graces to be acquired later.” Brander Matthews

Professor Matthews, by the way, is the critic who raised Mark Twain’s ire by praising the work of James Fennimore Cooper. He is quoted in Twain’s famous critical essay of Cooper’s writing.

Rules of Writing Green Paint“Writing has laws of perspective, of light and shade just as painting does, or music. If you are born knowing them, fine. If not, learn them, Then rearrange the rules to suit yourself.” ~Truman Capote

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About the Author

Brian WaskoBrian is the founder and president of WriteAtHome.com. One of his passions is to teach young people how to write better.View all posts by Brian Wasko

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