Several Short Sentences About Writing

This book changed how I think about sentences. Klinkenborg argues that we've been taught to write in a way that privileges complexity over clarity, and he's right.

The format is unusual-short sentences, lots of white space, almost like poetry. It forces you to slow down, to read each sentence as its own unit of meaning.

Some key takeaways:

• Learn to recognize when you're writing in a fog of abstraction
• Every sentence should have a reason for existence
• The reader isn't in your head; they only know what you tell them
• Revision isn't editing; it's re-seeing

I've started reading my own writing out loud since finishing this. It's embarrassing how many awkward constructions I'd never noticed before.