Guest Essay. Shaken but not stirred. Denton Record Chronicle, 7-31-19

Sometimes writing is just plain fun. This was the case with this latest essay. Think of a good topic, do some research and follow a few simple *rules: keep it simple, tell the truth, boil it down, ditch the dictionary, write clearly and don’t drink. The last two, I suppose, go together. Writing for the Denton Record Chronicle has been good for me. For one thing, it forces me to think of something new to say and not repeat the same old stale thing. Plus, I’m limited to 500 words, although I cheat and frequently try to sneak a few more in now and again. To their credit, they don’t complain. By the way, 500 words may seem like a lot, but when you state an idea, explain it, develop an argument and come up with a closing statement, it goes by pretty fast. I always keep in mind that Lincoln managed to say a lot in his Gettysburg Address, which took two minutes to read and was only 272 words.

*The rules I mention above are actually part of Hemingway’s advice on writing (see previous blog entry) that I have studied and taken to heart. If you try to follow one of the greats, it’s hard to go wrong.

The link to the article is here: Shaken yes, but not stirred.

Saludos,

m