Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Keeping it Simple but Smart

I found this post by Theodora Goss about simplicity in writing quite interesting. http://theodoragoss.com/2011/11/29/simplicity/

The truth is, most people sitting down to read want to be entertained. Teach me, but don't beat me over the head with your philosophy. And I love beautiful language when I read but I hate having to read with a dictionary in my lap to understand what I'm reading :)

Keeping your story simple doesn't mean dumbing it down to "See Spot run." when you can just as easily say, "Spot cleared the dead fall log with a smooth motion, catching the rabbit in mid-hop."

2 comments:

G. B. Miller said...

This is why I don't like reading literary fiction.

I'm always left feeling like my IQ isn't quite high enough to appreciate the nuances of the story.

sandra seamans said...

I know exactly how you feel, G, but every once in a while I'll pick up one of those Literary books and be very glad that I did.