Random Thoughts IV
October 9, 2020

I was pleased to see that I'm not the only person who believes that pulling apart[1] 
the texts of other writers and lots of actual writing practice are the best ways 
to improve one's writing. Here's an anecdote that describes the 11th-century 
Chinese writer Ouyang Xiu's method of learning to write better, as told by the 
poet Su Dongpo:

          Many years ago, Sun Shenlao got to know Master Ouyang Xiu, and took
  the opportunity to ask him about the art of writing. Master Ouyang said, "There
  is no art--just read books carefully and write a lot, and you'll naturally
  become skilled....There's no need to depend on others to point out the flaws in
  your writing; if you write a lot, you will naturally be able to see them." --Su
  Dongpo, "Record of a Saying by Ouyang Xiu," trans. by Andrew Gudgel

"Read books carefully and write a lot," is good advice for a writer. Always has
been and always will be. 

I was also pleased to see I'm not the only writer who believes that having a
dictionary on their desk is an advantage[2]. Using a dictionary is also 
recommended by no less a writing authority than John McPhee[3].

Here's good advice from Jacey Bedford. When writing a novel (and especially when
writing a series of novels), don't forget to create a style sheet[4] so you can 
keep all your character names and facts and new words straight as you
add page unto page and chapter unto chapter. I once changed a character's name 
in the middle of a chapter and didn't notice until it was pointed out to me by 
my critique group. A style sheet would have saved me a bit of trouble and a lot 
of embarrassment.

[1] https://www.andrewgudgel.com/blog/reverse-engineering.txt
[2] https://austinkleon.com/2020/09/24/an-open-dictionary
[3] http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/04/29/draft-no-4 
[4] https://jaceybedford.wordpress.com/2020/10/06/style-sheets-2

(c) 2020 by Andrew Gudgel 
email: contact [at] andrewgudgel.com