Robert Christgau Quotes

Anyone can make an article longer; the skill is keeping it tight and lean.

One mistake with beginners in writing is, that they think it important to spin out something long. It is a great deal better not to write more than a page or two, unless you have something to say, and can write it correctly.

Adverbs lead to overwriting. Try taking them out and reading your prose again to see how it sounds. Simple and less words are more powerful.

I am a stickler for damn good writing.

I think in most cases, unless you're writing about a character who is garrulous, you say what you've got to say and then get out. Those little conjunctions, those little turnaround words help you do it. That's the way I like to write: I get rid of things rather than add them.

Be prepared to fall out of love with your words. I'm still too verbose at times.

Omit needless words.

Writing for me is cutting out the fat and getting to the meaning.

Good writing does not come from verbiage but from words.

Trying to get the sentences right and the structure of the narration right is about as big a job as I can handle. But I also know that if you handle that job properly, everything else just clicks into place.

My writing tends to become very dense, so I have to keep some cushion. Sometimes, words that seem superfluous are actually essential for the overall effect.

One false word, one extra word, and somebody's thinking about how they have to buy paper towels at the store. Brevity is very important. If you're going to be longwinded, it should be for a purpose. Not just because you like your words.

In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigor it will give your style.

I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter.

I like editing. Generally, you work under the assumption that everything can be shorter. I like to see if I can reconstruct a sentence. I find that enjoyable work.

I'm a matter-of-fact, office-hours writer.

Through an arbitrary problem, I had arrived at a tenet of good writing: brevity wins.

For correct writing, the cultivation of patience and mental accuracy is essential. Throughout the young author's period of apprenticeship, he must keep reliable dictionaries and textbooks at his elbow; eschewing as far as possible that hasty extemporaneous manner of writing which is the privilege of more advanced students.

You just can't make bad writing look good. But if you have good writing, you just say it, and it's almost done.

If you have to go back and spell-check the text you're about to send, you're saying too much.

I still don't know whether I know how to write a sentence.

There are many ways to improve your writing. Here's the bad news: 1.They all require hard work. 2.There is no magic bullet.

The lessons learned in journalism also apply. Writing for NPR has taught me to cut a piece in half and then in half again - without losing the essence. Apply that to the swollen prose of a bulky novel and you might reveal a beautiful work.

It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

The best advice on writing I've ever received was from William Zinsser: 'Be grateful for every word you can cut.'