Especially Hooptedoodle

“These are rules I’ve picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I’m writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what’s taking place in the story.”

—Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), pulp fiction genius, “WRITERS ON WRITING; Easy on the Adverbs, Exclamation Points and Especially Hooptedoodle,” The New York Times, 2001.

 

 

 

• Editorial Comment: That sentence alone could drive an entire course on writing. (Although I question the NYT headline writer on that semi-colon.)

• BONUS VIDEO: Elmore Leonard talks about writing. The video is poor, but the audio is worth it. 

 

 

 

 

PeezPIX

Foggy wild iris.

The May issue of Senior News is out. After a Long Year, Silver Linings. Read all about it.

FREE! Get TODAY'S WORD ON JOURNALISM in your email This free “service” is sent to 2,000,000 or so subscribers around the planet more or less every weekday morning during WORD season. If you have recovered from whatever illness led you to subscribe and don’t want it anymore, send “unsubscribe” to ted.pease@gmail.com. Or if you want to afflict someone else, send me the email address and watch the fun begin. (Disclaimer: I just quote ’em, I don’t necessarily endorse ’em. Don’t shoot the messenger.) 

Ted Pease, Professor of Interesting Stuff, Trinidad, California. (Be)Friend The WORD 

 

“I don’t think writers are sacred, but words are. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.” —Tom Stoppard