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In his book Finishing the Hat, the great American composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim (pictured) has this to say about writing and clarity:
There are only three principles necessary for a lyric writer, all of them familiar truisms. They were not immediately apparent to me when I started writing, but have come into focus via Oscar Hammerstein’s tutoring, Strunk and White’s huge little book The Elements of Style and my own sixty-some years of practicing the craft. I have not always been skilled or diligent enough to follow them as faithfully as I would like, but they underlie everything I've ever written. In no particular order, and to be written in stone:
Content Dictates Form
Less is More
God is in the Details
all in the service of:
Clarity
without which nothing else matters.
The Takeaway: Stephen Sondheim’s “three principles necessary for a lyric writer” are also necessary for a prose writer. Following them will help you write more clearly.
Thanks to Paul Henning, a friend and a clear writer, for pointing out this wonderfully concise bit of wisdom.
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