In a collection of essays called "The Writing Life," Francine du Plessix Gray offers four guidelines for powerful writing:
* Keep your sentences erotic
* Strive for muscle
* Create a pact of trust
* Rebel against the tyranny of genre
Points one and two are a rebuff to the kind of flabby writing that we enounter all too often, full of cliches, repeating what others have written rather than striving to express genuine experience in individual ways that excite the senses.
The third point is about quickly capturing the attention of the reader and then being worthy of it.
And the final point is about daring to go past the conventions of the genre within which you are writing.
I've jotted these four on a Post-It note to keep near my computer; I think they make a great checklist for all the writing I'm doing.
I'll share some more tidbits from this book with you as time goes on. You might also enjoy looking at my website, www.timetowrite.com for more writing tips and insights.
