In Today’s Journal
* Gary V and Gary Provost
* Happy 4th of July
* Of Interest
Gary V and Gary Provost
My buddy Gary V came through again. He sent me this quote from Gary Provost:
“This sentence has five words. Here are five more words. Five-word sentences are fine. But several together become monotonous. Listen to what is happening. The writing is getting boring. The sound of it drones. It’s like a stuck record. The ear demands some variety. Now listen. I vary the sentence length, and I create music. Music. The writing sings. It has a pleasant rhythm, a lilt, a harmony. I use short sentences. And I use sentences of medium length. And sometimes when I am certain the reader is rested, I will engage him with a sentence of considerable length, a sentence that burns with energy and builds with all the impetus of a crescendo, the roll of the drums, the crash of the cymbals – sounds that say listen to this, it is important.”
If you haven’t heard of Gary Provost, this is from an “AI Overview”:
Gary Provost (1944–1995) was an acclaimed American writer, author of over 20 books across various genres, and a widely beloved writing instructor. Dubbed “The Dustin Hoffman of writing” for his versatility, he is best known for his classic instructional text 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing and his popular Writers Retreat Workshop.
You can see other quotes by Provost at Goodreads.
Happy 4th of July
Just a note to wish all of you a safe, happy, and thoughtful 4th of July.
I also felt compelled to share a few thoughts:
Initially built on ideals, arguments, ideas, and tears; innovation and sweat; and determination and blood, the United States of America continues in that tradition. Plainly put, she steadfastly remains.
With her Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, since 1776 our nation remains unarguably the most unique social and political experiment on Earth.
She also remains not only a nation of human beings of every social, religious, and political stripe, but a guiding principle unequaled on the world stage.
She remains a paradox too, and she’s hardly perfect. But then, at 250 years old, she’s still only a toddler.
Like any toddler, our nation is learning as she goes, and even with all our diverse beliefs and opinions, we’re her collective parents. As such, it’s our responsibility to guide her and love her even as we help her work through her flaws.
Yet because she’s drawing on the collective knowledge, ideas, and ideals of such a diverse array of parents, I suspect she’s also much wiser than any of us. She’s certainly much wiser than I.
When things don’t go the way I personally think they should, her collective wisdom is what causes me to remember that some of her other parents believe differently than I. And owing to the Constitution, they have the right to believe differently.
And that foundation—not the growing pains and differences and personal desires—is the wonder of the American Dream.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
5 Lessons from 100 Ways to Improve Your Writing
9 Ideas to Get More Value from Your Backlist Books
The Beating Heart of Your Story—Structure Maybe good for some of you. But as you read, bear in mind that you’ve been absorbing story structure ever since you were born. Trust that and your characters, WITD, and you’ll be fine.