"One measure of how good the writing is is how little effort it requires for the reader to track what’s going on."
I've read "Consider the Lobster" and "This is Water" by David Foster Wallace, and can say that Wallace writes in just this way. He is able to boil down profound aspects of life and society into short and insightful paragraphs. Reading authors like Wallace is always more enjoyable because they have already done so much of the work. As I write, I attempt to implement Wallace's idea of simplicity and "effortless" reading for the reader, but I've found it is usually the hardest part. Taking a complex idea and presenting it in a simple way is one of the greatest challenges writers have.
It is really impressive that you have read 2 of his books and are able to relate his style of concise writing to that of your own.
ReplyDeleteThat's cool that you read his books. What kind of things does he write about? Is it like fiction stories or nonfiction or what? Also I agree that making complex ideas sound simple while not taking the complexity or nuance out of the argument is one of the most difficult parts of writing.
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