Some Thoughts to Frame The Day'No one can write decently who is distrustful of the reader's intelligence, or whose attitude is patronizing.'
-- the immortal word stylist E.B. White
'When you write, you make a sound in the reader's head. It can be a dull mumble -- that's why so much government prose makes you sleepy -- or it can be a joyful noise, a sly whisper, a throb of passion.'
-- Former NYT op-ed columnist Russell Baker
4 Comments:
Shalom John,
I have this photo, saved from a calendar of writers in their work spaces, hanging to the right of my writing desk.
B'shalom,
Jeff
Jeff,
That's awesome. Learning this truly made me smile today. This photo has so much back story (for me and so many others) that I gave up on trying to write about it all yesterday, leaving it for another day. Suffice for now to say that that wonderfully tangled story has to do with Maine vs. Manhattan (maybe my two favorite places), the generational succession of writer's writer (from E.B. White to Bill Zinsser) and the need for isolation and a "room of one's own," as Virginia Woolf put it. And so much more. But thanks as always for sharing your story, Jeff.
Wonderful thoughts for the day. Thanks, E.B., Russell, and - of course - John.
I just wrote about this being the most poignant photo in my new desk calendar. I'm almost sorry I flipped ahead. But now I'll link here so CI readers can see the image. The simplicity of the process. Thanks, J.
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