Edit and Cut, Part 7 to blupete's Essay
"On Writing"
"Rising with Auora's light,Artistic economy and unswerving directness: That is what one should strive for; too much of what we find is prolix, aimless and formless. Meredith set forth at least two duties of the writer: he is to develop a "habit of weeding out the unessential and commonplace; ... he will express nothing but the heart of the matter in hand." "In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigour it will give your style."8 "I require to see a proof, a revise, a revise, and a double re-vise, or fourth-proof rectified impression of all my productions ..."9 And always bear in mind the legal maxim that, "Whatever is added to describe anything already sufficiently described, is without effect."
The Muse invoked, sit down to write;
Blot out, correct, insert, refine,
Enlarge, diminish, interline;
Be mindful, when invention fails,
To scratch your head, and bite your nails."
Swift: On Poetry.
Or, GO TO
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