Hello lovely students, and I’m still thinking about today’s reviewed book Several short sentences about writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg. I’d seen the title recommended by several writers I consider to be super-cool, and was keen to see what the fuss was about.

Reading the book is certainly a disruptive experience, as it is not typeset in paragraphs but in sentences. So it looks more like a prose poem, than usual prose. And as you can see from the page example below, it makes arresting points which made this reader think:

If this book were a stream, it would be fast flowing with occasional tidal surges that knock you off balance. There’s lots of assertion and direction and some useful, if most rigorous writing exercises. Were you in the frame of mind to lock yourself away for a couple of days writing bootcamp, this would be a most useful primer.

Now someone has recommended an almost opposite approach to this one, which I’ll review in my next lesson, for all you lovely writing nerds who share my fascination with ‘how does great writing work?’ .

Meanwhile in the UK, we are enjoying extroardinary wonderful weather, which is just the time to curl up outside and get reading and writing. May you be inspired currently, too!