Wentworth Dillon Quotes

Wordiness is a sickness of American writing. Too many words dilute and blur ideas.

You come by your style by learning what to leave out. At first you tend to overwrite—embellishment instead of insight. You either continue to write puerile bilge, or you change. In the process of simplifying oneself, one often discovers the thing called voice.

Good writing does not come from verbiage but from words.

Most of my work consisted of crossing out. Crossing out was the secret of all good writing.

You know what writers say about their long books: If I had another year, the book would be half as long.

You know that I write slowly. This is chiefly because I am never satisfied until I have said as much as possible in a few words, and writing briefly takes far more time than writing at length.

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.

Fine writing is a distinct disadvantage. So is unique literary style. They take attention from the subject

It is excellent discipline for an author to feel that he must say all that he has to say in the fewest possible words, or his readers is sure to skip them.

I think precision in writing goes hand in hand with not trying to say everything. You try and say two-thirds, so the reader will involve himself or herself.

A lot of critics think I'm stupid because my sentences are so simple and my method is so direct: they think these are defects. No. The point is to write as much as you know as quickly as possible.

The point of good writing is knowing when to stop.

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.

The main thing I try to do is write as clearly as I can. I rewrite a good deal to make it clear.

My most important rule is one that sums up the 10: If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.

We never let go. Ever. Even with punctuation. It's frightening. I can't see anyone from any record company ever writing an email to Neil and not getting it back, with corrections.

I'm pretty rigorous about the drafts I turn in. I don't turn in something that's so ungodly they go, 'What the hell is this?'

Writing is sometimes a balancing act between keeping things easily readable and being accurate.

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

Brevity and conciseness are the parents of correction.

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

There are people who believe in an absolutely transparent prose; with every respect for clarity of expression, I don't.

I'm a big fan of editing and keeping only the interesting bits in.

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.

Read over your compositions, and when you meet a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out.