Thoughts on writing

The opening paragraph in Barbara Tuchman’s magnificently written and critically acclaimed “The Guns of August”—her Pulitzer winning book on the origins of the first world war—is widely considered among the best opening paragraphs ever written in a work of history, only comparable to Edward Gibbon’s magisterial prose in the “The rise and fall of the Roman Empire”, or Churchills’ lilting descriptions scattered across his six-volume account of the second world war. Tuchman’s opening paragraph is only five sentences long; only five – yet, in those five chiseled and crafted sentences, she grabs the attention of the reader by the ears, sets the stage for the drama, and introduces the context—all in one single sweep of stylish prose. After this paragraph, It is impossible (at least to me) to put the book down. It carries the reader, irresistibly, through the rest of its pages, like a leaf helplessly dancing along a river in spate, and by the time, we close the book, the sparkling beauty of Tuchman’s prose, her style of presenting historical evidence, and the sheer energy of her writing leaves us intellectually buoyant and pleasurably exhausted at the same time. I have read The guns of August, at least, half a dozen times, and the first chapter countless times, and each time I have wondered what makes this prose click. Is it the choice of words, the structure of the sentences, the grammatical precision, or the architecture of the narrative – what is it? I can only conclude, it is the sheer beauty and style of Tuchman’s writing. It is sometimes difficult to define beauty or style, but you feel it in your bones. In his introduction to a recent edition of The Guns of August, The historian Robert Massie points out it took Tuchman eight hours to write that first paragraph, just those five sentences, the way she wanted it to be experienced. That is how demanding writing can be, even for the very best of them.

I am often asked how to improve one’s writing skills. I am neither an expert at this process nor do I have any pretensions of being a good writer. However, I do love writing and have invested sufficient time in understanding the process of fine-tuning my writing skills. And to that extent, I can share my thoughts on the matter, and nothing more. In my opinion, good writing cannot be taught. All we can do, perhaps, is to point out a few good practices and pitfalls; but eventually, how one writes and the style of writing is dependent on many factors that can never be the same for any two individuals. This is the principal reason why creative writing courses typically don’t produce creative writers. Of the hundreds who take the course, just a few go on to become published authors, others resign to their fate of lacking that mysterious sauce of style, distinct voice, and clarity—which alone distinguishes a good writer.

The act of writing is not natural to the human species. Except for speech, which is genetically wired in the brain, both reading and writing are acquired skills that are easier to learn when one is young, and which gets progressively difficult to master as time passes. It takes time, effort, and practice to learn both. Writing appears in human history about 5000 years ago and reading, even later. It takes the brain a lot of effort and rewiring to master the rudiments of both. For millennia, all we had were oral traditions. Our epics – both in the East and the West – were meant to be recited, not copied into notebooks or read from parchments. Bards recited whole tracts and poems out of memory, each time subtly embellishing and transforming the story, passing it on to the next generation, emotionally and intellectually richer, each time it was told. But writing changed all that. The spoken word became a visual embodiment of what went on in the mind, and over time, these symbols, forms of writing, took over as the primary means of passing on culture and learning from generation to generation. It is also interesting to note that for the most part of human history, learning how to write or read wasn’t mandatory for all; it wasn’t considered a stigma, as it is today, to remain illiterate. Illiteracy was a way of life with its charm, quietude, and peace of mind. But the modern world is different.

The first criteria to write better is to read prolifically. It is impossible to write clearly and with style if one does not have the habit of reading diverse authors and subjects. Our first attempts at writing are inevitably tentative imitations of authors whom we have enjoyed reading. Like speech, writing starts out as imitation, as a mimetic skill, and gradually, as one reads more and more, we begin to acquire a taste for a wide spectrum of styles and narrative structures, and imperceptibly begin to express ourselves, our unique voice, more confidently. A moment comes in a writer’s journey when we break out of the imitative style we had initially adopted. And that is a big step. That special moment, when we construct our first sentence that truly reflects what we wish to communicate, in a manner that is uniquely ours, is a moment to be cherished. It is a transforming moment, a quantum leap, an unfolding of writing genes and coming face to face with one’s style. It took me a few years for this to happen, and during that time, one should patiently read, think and continue writing. Just as the human voice breaks during the teens, and from then onwards, is shaped more or less permanently by how we use it; writing also undergoes a metamorphosis as one keeps writing regularly. After discovering one’s style and genre, we must work at it with diligence to bring it to a well-formed shape and style.

Tons of books are available on how to write well. And most of them, I am certain, are written with good intentions of providing the right advice on the craft of writing. But the problem for non-native English writers, especially from the Indian subcontinent (I can only speak from that vantage point), is that we are handicapped by our ignorance of basic grammar and the rules of constructing sentences. We may know what a noun and a verb are, but beyond that, there is only a peripheral understanding of other parts of the language. Not our fault. We are taught English as a subject, an exam to be cleared, and not as a language to be learned and mastered as a means of communication. The rudiments of grammar and the semantics of a sentence are foisted on us without giving us a chance or a well-defined process to internalize it so it becomes deeply wired in our brains. The result of such an education is that we are never totally comfortable with English. Though we speak, write and understand effectively enough to get along in life, there is always the lingering shadow of uncertainty and doubt about using it correctly. Moreover, we cultivate the awful habit of thinking in one language (usually our mother tongue) and translating it into English. This is an addictive habit and often becomes second nature, and the unfortunate consequence is we never consciously realize that this translation is even happening. This is natural to any non-native speaker. Unfortunately, the “How to” books, which are supposed to mitigate this bad practice, only end up exacerbating our insecurities even further. They make us even more nervous. At least, before reading these books, there was the solace of ignorance; but after reading a few books on good English skills, even that consolation is mercilessly taken away.

I have in my library more than a dozen books about the rules of good writing and the nuances of the language. Out of which, there are three, that are gems, which I highly recommend. Out of the three, one is a simple, no-nonsense guidebook on the essential do’s and dont’s of good writing, a book that had stood the test of time, and my all-time favorite. When I am in doubt, I go to this book. The other two are about the process of writing, and how a distinct style and a personal writing voice can be cultivated. I dip into them regularly to replenish and refine my style. Just because these books work for me doesn’t mean they should work for everyone. However, I am reasonably confident, this should work for many aspiring writers.

For nearly a century now, Strunk and white’s ‘ The elements of style’ has been the serious writer’s almanac. It is a short book. The latest edition is just ninety-five pages long, despite additions and modifications over the years. William Strunk Jr. was an English professor, who wrote this textbook for his use in 1919, just after the first world war. During that time, E B White (who went on to become a celebrated author) was his student. In 1957, nearly thirty years later, E B White realized the worth of the invaluable instructions he received from Strunk and the timelessness of his book. White pulled out Strunk’s textbook, edited and published it with his own brilliant introduction and an additional chapter, for a modern generation of writers. Since then, this book has become an indispensable guide for anyone who needs quick and simple commandments to write decent English. What makes this book especially handy is the unambiguous nature of the instructions—simple do’s and donts without any elaborate rationalization of why. For instance, Rules number 14 reads “Omit needless words”. This single piece of advice stated so bluntly if followed, can make all the difference between bad and good writing. Note that Strunk says “Needless” and not “excessive”. There is a difference. A needless word is one you can omit from a good sentence to make it even better, an excessive word, on the other hand, shouldn’t have been there in the first place. In most cases, you will be surprised how much we can trim even the best of our sentences. That’s what editing or revision is all about. Or consider this, my favorite rule number 5: “Do not join independent clauses with a comma”—the most common mistake amateur writer make. One of the least understood parts of writing, in general, is the use of punctuation marks. When to use a comma, a semicolon, a colon, and when not to use any or all of them is a mystery to many. Therefore, we use it casually leaving it to the poor reader’s judgment and effort to decipher a sentence. ‘Elements of style’ is not a grammar book, in the sense, it will not teach us the linguistic theory behind these sentences. There are better books for that. What Strunk’s stentorian bits of advice will teach us is how to write elegantly and correctly without having to know too much about the nitty-gritty of grammar and punctuations. Every so often, it is better to know how to write, before we learn the why behind it. If you are an aspiring writer, Strunk & White’s ‘elements of style’ is an indispensable book. However, the only issue with this book is that it is slightly outdated. Strunk was a strict conservative who taught in the early nineteenth century, and he certainly did not appreciate slang and what he considered as the progressive vulgarization of the English language, even during his time. Some of his advice may sound a little off-beat in the modern context of tweets and Facebook posts. However, there is still so much merit in what he says about good writing which holds true even today. It is good to have this book by your side if you are serious about writing. I do, always.

I love Stephen Kings’s “on Writing”. It changed the way I looked at prose writing. The book is part autobiography and part a manual on the process of writing. There are critics who may dismiss King as a commercial novelist than a literary figure, but I disagree. I haven’t read all of King’s books, but those I have, are extremely well written, and more importantly, have flowing prose and a clear narrative. It is easy to read King’s books. The writing is unpretentious, down to earth, and quite colloquial, when it needs to be. King wrote “on Writing” when he was convalescing after a terrible accident in 1996 that nearly killed him. After about a hundred pages of an autobiographical account of how he discovered the writer in him, King gets into the nuts and bolts of the writing process. King is a big fan of Strunk & White’s Elements of Style and prefers simple techniques to refine one’s writing skills. Since King mostly writes fiction, his pointers are more about writing stories than non-fictional prose, but I have found his ideas equally applicable to any form of writing. For non-native English writers, writing simple prose is the most difficult part. Our sentences constructions are complex and often lacking in grammar, we are unsure of the meaning of the words we use, and of course, the predominant use of the dreaded passive voice in our writing is a malignant disease, as if, by writing in the third person, we wish to absolve ourselves of the responsibility for what we have written. I am guilty of all these mistakes. I cringe when I read some of my older pieces. If I were to write them again today, I would phrase them differently. But that’s how a writer and writing evolves—constant learning, practice, and review of one’s writing process. Stephen King teaches us how to go about this process.

The third book I recommend is Steven Pinker’s “Sense of Style”. A beautiful book on what is style, and what is its correlation with grammar and semantics. Some of our greatest writers have broken or twisted every rule of grammar in their writings, yet the writing is still effective and a pleasure to read. So, Pinker asks: Are the rules of language fixed, hardwired, or are they subject to change. If so, what parts of the language can evolve and which cannot? These are interesting questions and can help a writer bend the language to his needs. Furthermore, Pinker attempts to reconcile the inviolable rules of writing with the changes happening to the language itself in the modern era. For a beginner writer, Pinker’s book may be heavy to read and follow. But as one keeps writing, the book begins to make sense. It is a good book to read slowly, a few pages a time, and allow the ideas to seep in. It has long-term benefits.

This essay has already crossed two thousand words, and I wouldn’t want to stretch my readers’ indulgence any further. There are, however, many more thoughts I would like to share. Perhaps, I will defer those for another essay. The last thing I wish to point out is the need to develop a decent vocabulary. This is a whole new subject by itself, and there are many theories on how best to acquire new words. I have learned ( the hard way) the best method to acquire and retain words is by learning the etymological roots that form the basis of many words. By knowing a root, we are privy to a whole family of words. We don’t have to remember them individually. If we can learn how to spot the base root of any given word, the meaning unfolds without further effort. For instance, the root “ped” in Latin means “foot”. If we know this root, then the meaning of words such as pedestrian, pedestal, podium, pedal, biped become readily apparent. They have something to do with the feet. My favorite word book about roots is “How to build a better vocabulary” by Maxwell Nurnberg and Morris Rosenblum. As a teenager, my interest in English words was kindled by this book, and even today, I read this book, once in a while, for sheer pleasure.

At the end of the day, Writing is an important skill for any literate man. Whether one writes emails, or academic papers, or journalistic pieces, or letters, or books, or a proposal the basic elements of writing remain the same. What and how one writes, reflects the quality of the person writing it. A few weeks ago, I was reading an interview by a technology entrepreneur. He made an interesting comment about selecting candidates from profiles given to him. He said: ” look, if the candidate has not made the effort to know the difference between its and it’s after twenty years of education, then I have a problem with such a learning curve. It indicates laziness or complacency”. This is not to say that everyone should write like a Gibbon or Dickens, But there is a basic level of proficiency and style each one of us can achieve. Unlike face-to-face conversation, what we write will be read by people we don’t physically see. Writing is essentially having a conversation with an invisible audience, and a diverse one at that. Therefore we have to be careful and conscientious enough to make ourselves as clear as possible. What we write should be readable. If a piece of writing cannot kindle interest in the reader, it is not worth the effort. And like many other skills, writing is an acquired one, and what it requires is wide reading, discipline, practice, and lots of effort. If there is one myth I like to dispel, it is this: no one is born a writer, one becomes a writer.

God bless…

yours in mortality,

Bala