Some years ago I missed a great photo. The lighting was perfect, the sun at the right angle. On the way to somewhere I zipped around the bend of a lonely country road. Hove into sight was a stand of trees in line as a windbreak next to the road.
Hidden from view was a barbed wire fence. In each space between the sun dappled tree trunks, a single cow stuck her head out to look at me coming up the road. There must've been 20 or thirty cows all in a line and all looking at me. Their brightly lit faces were identical.
Alas, as I drove past, the cows moved off the fence and the moment was gone. I turned around to go back the way I came. I waited nearly an hour. I cow whispered. I sang a cattle call. I revved the engine hoping to provoke the cows to return. No joy.
Wow! If another can feel as if they were there just as I was, then I have done well.
- Plentious use of adjectives and synonyms. - Avoid beginning a sentence with personal pronouns (unless a specific person is the subject) - Be enthusiastic. - Practice.
Those are my rules.
I try to practice what a college professor of English hammered into his students; reduce, reduce, reduce the sentences you will write. Be concise; being too wordy constrains the reader from developing their own word picture.
If you truly wish to write well, I suggest two books; E.B. White Reader, and The Little Rhetoric & Handbook, by Corbett. Oh, a third; the thesaurus.
Of course, to practice writing. Most every of my comments on blogs is practice in writing well. Before blogs, I would simply practice putting to paper a favorite memory. My goal would be to convey the picture in my mind as vividly as possible.
Be not dismayed. For every well written piece I have thrown away ten or more unsatisfactory writings.
I am being sincere. In my younger years I read stacks of books and being exposed to different writing styles helped me in school. I have a thesaurus and I have read a well known E.B. White book years ago. When I have time I will seek out your suggestions.
Too many times I find myself dashing off a blog post and I should devote a bit more time to the writing part of it.
Some years ago I missed a great photo.
ReplyDeleteThe lighting was perfect, the sun at the right angle. On the way to somewhere I zipped around the bend of a lonely country road. Hove into sight was a stand of trees in line as a windbreak next to the road.
Hidden from view was a barbed wire fence. In each space between the sun dappled tree trunks, a single cow stuck her head out to look at me coming up the road. There must've been 20 or thirty cows all in a line and all looking at me. Their brightly lit faces were identical.
Alas, as I drove past, the cows moved off the fence and the moment was gone. I turned around to go back the way I came. I waited nearly an hour. I cow whispered. I sang a cattle call. I revved the engine hoping to provoke the cows to return. No joy.
Some photos remain only in your mind
WIsh I could write this well.
DeleteWow! If another can feel as if they were there just as I was, then I have done well.
Delete- Plentious use of adjectives and synonyms.
- Avoid beginning a sentence with personal pronouns
(unless a specific person is the subject)
- Be enthusiastic.
- Practice.
Those are my rules.
I try to practice what a college professor of English hammered into his students; reduce, reduce, reduce the sentences you will write. Be concise; being too wordy constrains the reader from developing their own word picture.
If you truly wish to write well, I suggest two books; E.B. White Reader, and The Little Rhetoric & Handbook, by Corbett.
Oh, a third; the thesaurus.
Of course, to practice writing. Most every of my comments on blogs is practice in writing well. Before blogs, I would simply practice putting to paper a favorite memory. My goal would be to convey the picture in my mind as vividly as possible.
Be not dismayed. For every well written piece I have thrown away ten or more unsatisfactory writings.
I am being sincere. In my younger years I read stacks of books and being exposed to different writing styles helped me in school. I have a thesaurus and I have read a well known E.B. White book years ago. When I have time I will seek out your suggestions.
DeleteToo many times I find myself dashing off a blog post and I should devote a bit more time to the writing part of it.
The comments are much appreciated.
Great photo Michael!
ReplyDelete