Short Sentences

Photo: Danielle McInness

This article can also be found on Medium.

I find myself writing an article about the 2nd rule of fiction writing by Kurt Vonnegut. In my research on making memorable and enjoyable characters, I have learned that I lack a lot as a writer.

I am very pleased with the task of writing a specific article for each of Vonnegut’s eight rules. It is an awakening experience and I am learning what storytelling actually is.

This project is self imposed, because I want to write books. I have never been a fan of long prose as I grew up in the ranks of modern advertising, where less is more.

My first long article was sheer torture and it was only 2000 words in length. This second story is not proving to be any easier. Now, I understand what Ernest Hemingway meant when he said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

My writing history is all on Medium. On this publication, I realized that writing is my gig — the missing piece of my life. It all became very clear to me after I wrote the first article in the fall of 2015. As an author, I am in fact novice, you can even say I am a literary infant. And, that is OK. We all have to start somewhere.

So the obvious question is, “who am I to be scribbling about writing itself and Vonnegut’s golden rules?” I am nowhere near an expert. I am not even a prentice to most writers. And yet, I have taken it on myself to become the expert in the eight rules of Vonnegut, and why not?

The Zen master, Lao Tzu said long ago, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. And, when the student is truly ready, the teacher will disappear.”

I am the student. And, the teachers are all the writers that I am discovering in my sleuthing. Some of the names are familiar to me and others are obscure. I am delving into their worlds and absorbing their knowledge.

This lack of know-how would have discouraged me in the past, but not anymore. I am famished to learn about my passion, which is storytelling. I am surprised at how much I have already improved by dedicating time to write every day. I am not bleeding over Hemingway’s typewriter yet. But, I am definitely wearing out the keyboard on my laptop. If Ernest were alive today, I am sure he would approve.

I have done a Hemingway test on several literary pieces. The authors include Capote, Vonnegut, Bukowski, and others. They wrote their books at an average 4th grade level where short sentences were the norm.

I am adapting my writing style to emulate these greats and thus improve my storytelling. I am finding less and less mistakes, so it is working.

My article on the 2nd rule of fiction writing will be ready very soon.

For a bit of audiovisual fun, you can join me on YouTube.