Aaron hates Ernest Hemingway, and is fond of retelling the anecdote about Old Man and the Sea; He asserts that Old Man and the Sea would be perfect--IF-- and its a big 'if', IF it had been a short story. See, as Aaron tells it, Hemingway had a great short story on his hands in this man-vs-fish/man-vs-himself allegory. But the deal is this: Hemingway got paid by the word. So apparently he stretched what should have been a 30 to 35 page story into one triple that length.
Interestingly, though, Hemingway actually has a reputation in literature (other than being a fall-down drunk) for his economy of words. He examplifies the very American, very masculine, very closed-mouthed modern writing aesthetic. He isn't flowery, he isn't (generally) long winded. He says what he needs to say, rather bluntly, and doesn't tend to elaborate past endurance (hem-hem, Mr. Tolkein...), or fluff it up like a big name hollywood star with a tiny dick and a nude scene coming up (hem-hem, Mr. Bacon...).
I tend to be the long-winded type. Maybe you've noticed? I use ten words where five would've done fine. I go off on tangents and focus on minutia and keep writing when I should just press that punctuation key...
And Aaron, the Hemingway hater, shared a really interesting little anecdote with me the other night over margaritas and bean dip (how appropriate to the man's legacy...). It's worth mentioning that I've been with Aaron for more than half my life at this point, so I've become well aquainted with many, if not most, of his factoids, trivia, and anecdotes. When he began this one, about Hemingway, I sorta had to resist rolling my eyes. But it turned a corner I really didn't see coming, and made a real impact on me.
It goes like this: Hemingway, known for his economy of language--almost to the point of farce--was challenged by a literary critic to write an entire story in no more than ten words.
Hemingway responds, with likely swagger, that he could do better; he didn't need more than six. And here's the story, which contains in its nearly zen-like simplicity, a full story arc;, a solid beginning, middle, and end; It tell an entire story. And a good one, at that. It has intrigue, depth, and impact. I'd like to share it with you, and leave it at that.
Here's what Hemingway wrote:
Interestingly, though, Hemingway actually has a reputation in literature (other than being a fall-down drunk) for his economy of words. He examplifies the very American, very masculine, very closed-mouthed modern writing aesthetic. He isn't flowery, he isn't (generally) long winded. He says what he needs to say, rather bluntly, and doesn't tend to elaborate past endurance (hem-hem, Mr. Tolkein...), or fluff it up like a big name hollywood star with a tiny dick and a nude scene coming up (hem-hem, Mr. Bacon...).
I tend to be the long-winded type. Maybe you've noticed? I use ten words where five would've done fine. I go off on tangents and focus on minutia and keep writing when I should just press that punctuation key...
And Aaron, the Hemingway hater, shared a really interesting little anecdote with me the other night over margaritas and bean dip (how appropriate to the man's legacy...). It's worth mentioning that I've been with Aaron for more than half my life at this point, so I've become well aquainted with many, if not most, of his factoids, trivia, and anecdotes. When he began this one, about Hemingway, I sorta had to resist rolling my eyes. But it turned a corner I really didn't see coming, and made a real impact on me.
It goes like this: Hemingway, known for his economy of language--almost to the point of farce--was challenged by a literary critic to write an entire story in no more than ten words.
Hemingway responds, with likely swagger, that he could do better; he didn't need more than six. And here's the story, which contains in its nearly zen-like simplicity, a full story arc;, a solid beginning, middle, and end; It tell an entire story. And a good one, at that. It has intrigue, depth, and impact. I'd like to share it with you, and leave it at that.
Here's what Hemingway wrote:
For Sale:
Baby Shoes.
Never worn.
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