“How to Write with Style” by Kurt Vonnegut is an enlightening article with excellent advice for writers of all types. Vonnegut gives several pointers on developing one’s own writing style, while using his own amusing style of writing. He takes what could be considered a dry subject and adds his own perspective and twist to pique the interest of his reader. The article is clear and readable without insulting the intelligence of the audience.
By numbering each example, Vonnegut makes it easy to grasp his points. There is no ambiguity about what his intentions are; the article is laid out in a digestible format. One of the more clever examples he gives is the one of not rambling on. Vonnegut (1980) plainly articulates: “I won’t ramble on about that” (p. 66). What more needs to be said?
Another reason that this article is so successful is Vonnegut’s use of well known people and books to paint his picture of how one should write with style. He mentions Shakespeare, Picasso, Cleopatra, the Bible, and several others that most readers, if not all, will be somewhat knowledgeable at the very least.
What is especially convincing about this article is the fact that Vonnegut takes his own advice, using his ideas to give an example of a stylishly written piece. It is easy to find Vonnegut’s use of every single suggestion he makes in this article.
Despite the fact that this article was published thirty years ago, it is not outdated in any way. Vonnegut has successfully written a piece that will be just as useable for many years to come. I found it an interesting and informative read, and will happily use what I have learned from Vonnegut in my future writings.
What is the most important element to consider as a writer developing their own style?
Vonnegut, K. (1980). How to write with style. IEEE Transactions on
Personal Communications, 24(2), 66-67.
I believe all the guidelines that Vonnegut has introduced are important; however, if I had to pick one I would go with “Find a subject you care about.” When writing about a subject that you are passionate about, it is easier to get your point across.
ReplyDeleteThanks Susannah for pointing out that the article is thirty years old and still going strong. I liked Vonnegut's advice to write with some of the expressions and nuances of our mother tongue. For example, I'm from a small town and I think sometimes it works its way into my expression.
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