Writing advice from Mark Twain, who was not a fan of adjectives. In The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson, he says, “As to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.” He also wrote a letter with clever, useful advice that still holds true for the modern writer. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Mark Twain’s Writing Advice”
I’ve been looking at writing advice from Mark Twain again.
He was not a fan of adjectives.
Oh, why?
He thought that they were just too, too much.
In Puddin’ Head Wilson, he says, as to the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out.
And he wrote a letter to someone, and it said, you need not expect to get your book right the first time.
Go to work and revamp or rewrite it.
God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention.
These are God’s adjectives.
You thunder and lightning too much, the reader ceases to get under the bed by and by.
Very good.
But the original part of that sentence is advice that I still see from people who know writing, which is it’s not really about the first draft ever.
It’s all about the redraft and the redraft and the redraft.
It’s about the editing.
Always.
Your own editing and the editing of other people.
He’s good for writing advice, that Mark Twain.
Sure.
