Guidance on writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg

The book Several Short Sentences About Writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg, written in the form of a long free-verse poem, offers aspiring writers some direct and blunt advice on the craft of writing.

Taking it one sentence at a time

Klinkenborg advocates focusing on your sentences rather than the message you wish to convey through your writing, based on the notion that the sentences themselves are the highest value in writing. To write well, we must carefully examine our sentences, studying each word, structure, composition in relation to one another, and rhythm. Using simple language and short sentences, the author argues, is preferred since they allow for more clarity, and this is how your authority as a writer is established, through directness rather than original ideas. There is no place for provisional sentences or drafts. Instead, we should strive to get the sentences we're working on as close to their final state as possible. After all, as the author writes: “The writer’s job isn’t accepting sentences. The job is making them, word by word.”

Below are a few key ideas that I found particularly meaningful and that struck a chord with me:

In addition, as a novice writer, I'm guilty of finding reasons not to write. The list below is a note to myself to learn to write with whatever I have on hand, in any circumstances.

At first, I had some reservations about Klinkenborg's ideas since he rejects drafting, outlining, as well as the superiority of meaning above form. In school and academia, I was taught to do the exact opposite. But by the end, I had gained a greater appreciation for the lessons and a desire to play with sentences more. At the end of the book, there are sections to read and practice on, along with support questions to help you recognize the qualities of the sentences and explanations on their accuracy or imperfections. Studying someone else's prose was a useful exercise. It's something I don't do enough as a reader.