Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

I find, or re-find, a basic concept of writing non-fiction.

I recently worked through a piece of rewriting and revision. I used several AI systems combined with the best writing advice I accumulated through the years. When it was over, I attempted a summary. Surely there was something to pin on the wall and use. One thing surfaced:

Begin with the shortest true sentence, then build outward.

Hmm. Here we come back to brevity and clarity. I can’t seem to escape those. And going around and around in painful circles brings me back. State one idea. Add corollaries. Keep it meaningful. Use single words that express the meaning of phrases. Stop looking for magical magic things.

And tomorrow brings another challenge.