After reading about the crafting of original writing, it is takes serious effort to put the practice of sentence analysis on hold. For me, mechanically grammatical writing which combines creative originality has been like the famous line drawing which allow for two interpretations. The first is of a contoured vase; both the left and right profiles are perfect mirror images. A second interpretation is of two identical profiles facing one another. It is nearly impossible to conceive of both aspects simultaneously.
I have never taken voice lessons, but I love to sing. Likewise, I must confess while I am one who cannot “…rely solely on [my] own history of writing instruction.” I do enjoy writing. Hale’s strategies for crafting sentences and creating a voice are broken down into “small skills” These include easy to understand, bite-sized examples. Though I have heard of the “show, not tell” method of writing, Crafting Writers demonstrates the richness of this method with before and after comparisons. The incorporation of the senses clearly brings life to a story. Variations of words find a continuum of word choice and the subtleties they convey. Single words can trigger a host of images and memories. These strategies have the power to illicit emotions and draw in the reader.
Hale provides instruction for developing the aesthetics of writing on par with what Strunk and White’s Elements of Style does for the mechanics of writing. Her straightforward examples make me want to look back at some things I have had to write in the past and for which II would like to give another look. Writing is often work, but it should also be fun.
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