CS Lewis on writing

Craig linked to this list of 8 writing tips from CS Lewis. There are eight of them…

  1. Turn off the radio.
  2. Read good books and avoid most magazines.
  3. Write with the ear, not the eye. Make every sentence sound good.
  4. Write only about things that interest you. If you have no interests, you won’t ever be a writer.
  5. Be clear. Remember that readers can’t know your mind. Don’t forget to tell them exactly what they need to know to understand you.
  6. Save odds and ends of writing attempts, because you may be able to use them later.
  7. You need a well-trained sense of word-rhythm, and the noise of a typewriter will interfere.
  8. Know the meaning of every word you use.

Comments

David says:

Do you reckon point two would include blogs if this had been written today?

Nathan says:

Absolutely.

Goannatree says:

i think keeping my eyes open to the world around me, whether that’s current affairs or local newspapers often sparks off ideas and thoughts. It’s when i am present that I am able to connect and write about it. So, i don’t know if blogs are the new magazines. just as i am pretty sure that the “good” before books is a very important part of this. A book is not intrinsically better than a magazine just because it is in “book” form.