Another perspective from Ludwig Wittgenstein, who managed (probably) to say most of what needs to be said about "language" and "brevity" by barely saying anything:
“A serious and good philosophical work could be written consisting entirely of jokes.”
“Only describe, don't explain.”
and the extraordinarily potent, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”
Feb 7, 2023·edited Feb 8, 2023Liked by Rosana Francescato
I'm glad I've come across this post as it means I will never have to read what sounds like a truly soulless book! Imagine if everyone wrote with 'Smart Brevity' all the time. There would be no art in literature.
Rules can improve writing in certain contexts, but in reality the best writing is often the result of breaking them. If brevity was all that made good writing then a certain social media platform that enforces a limited character count would be a bastion of good writing. And we all know how incorrect a characterisation that is!
I use dearth, challenge, and ubiquitous in conversation all the time! So there, Smart Brevity peeps!
(And I wonder which guy you're referring to . . . :-) )
Another perspective from Ludwig Wittgenstein, who managed (probably) to say most of what needs to be said about "language" and "brevity" by barely saying anything:
“A serious and good philosophical work could be written consisting entirely of jokes.”
“Only describe, don't explain.”
and the extraordinarily potent, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.”
I'm glad I've come across this post as it means I will never have to read what sounds like a truly soulless book! Imagine if everyone wrote with 'Smart Brevity' all the time. There would be no art in literature.
Rules can improve writing in certain contexts, but in reality the best writing is often the result of breaking them. If brevity was all that made good writing then a certain social media platform that enforces a limited character count would be a bastion of good writing. And we all know how incorrect a characterisation that is!
Thanks! This post is not TLDR, IMO.