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Step 1
Get rid of the adjectives and adverbs. Not all of them, of course, but many times relying on them can be a form of laziness. Start relying on nouns and verbs that are inherently descriptive. Instead of saying "the walked slowly down the steep gorge", you could say "he plodded down the ravine".
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Step 2
Focus on what can be seen or heard. Don't write a full page about John's internal anguish over having foot fungus. No one cares. Instead, write about how he reacts to having foot fungus. What does he do? What does he say? Show me, don't tell me.
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Step 3
Get to the point, using as few words as possible. Know what you're trying to say and get to it. Think of an iceberg. When writing, give the reader the tip of the iceberg, the essentials. Your readers can fill in the rest. When writing a scene, come in late and get out early, as screenwriters are taught.
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Step 4
Leave a little gas left in the tank. Leave some ink in the quill. Perhaps the best time to end your writing session is when you're on a roll, not when you've said everything you've got to say. Develop the discipline to step away when you have something left to write. When you return to write again, you can dive right in and get into the flow.
Comments
tundranut said
on 11/5/2009 I really enjoyed your iceberg analogy. Thanks for this excellent article on How to Write Like Hemingway. 5*
tundranut said
on 11/5/2009 I really enjoyed your iceberg analogy. Thanks for this excellent article on How to Write Like Hemingway. 5*