3 ms·
On a deeper level, good writing is like mind control. You are trying to create a specific mental state in the reader. Rules like the ones you stated are good
by CuriouslyC 10y ago
On a deeper level, good writing is like mind control. You are trying to create a specific mental state in the reader. Rules like the ones you stated are good guides for a beginning writer, but they shouldn't be viewed as gospel. For example, indirection is necessary if you're trying to surprise the reader, and semicolons highlight the connection between clauses that might be missed with a period. Keeping sentences short (i.e. maximizing information content of your words) is the right thing to do, unless you're trying to confuse your reader.
- tpeo 10y agoWell, good writing is unlike mind control in that it's an actual thing. But I get the point: in the end, you've got to question yourself about what you're really trying to do here. What is it that you're trying to convey with your writing. Which is why I've mentioned literature: if you do try to keep it all short and avoid anything but periods, all you'll manage is to sound like Hemingway. And there's more to literature than Hemingway.