Stephen Jay Gould on Writing
I’m reading through Gould’s The Mismeasure of Man. Actually, I’m on page 53 and still not done the introduction - he is apparently rather verbose. He did, however, have this little tid-bit on writing which I, and many other writers and bloggers, should certainly strive to incorporate more often:
. . . do not waffle on about generalities . . . Focus on those small, but fascinating, details that can pique people’s interest and illustrate generalities far better than overt and tendentious discussion.
Simple but powerful advice.
July 14th, 2008
at 1:06 pm on July 14th, 2008
hey, that is a good book–i used it in my article on sociobiology in Cosmopolitan. also, I am liking the blog.
at 10:31 pm on July 14th, 2008
I picked up a copy of Wonderful Life just last week. I hope to visit the Burgess Shale before the end of the season, since it is just down the road from where I live.
at 11:28 pm on July 14th, 2008
I forgot to mention how Gould’s suggestion reminded my of Kurt Vonnegut’s advice to writers.