Thoughts of a Mad Man

Do What Works?

Writing rules





I want to tell you about what has to be the worst writing I have ever read. You may gather why I do not tell you the title as I describe it.


It was a published book, mind you, but none of the unpublished so flagrantly defied all reason. Every word was confusion like listening to a lecture made of words that sounded like English but did not have the same meanings. But there were a few that were absolutely revolting and enraging, as one might want to first burn the author and then the book (if it were not so old that he is likely dead.)


He did however market it so that the awfulness seemed to be part of the book--an intellectual hazing as it were. Hell week between the covers of a library book.


When the three weeks ended I renewed it; and when I could not renew the borrow it hurt me physically to give it up. It was as it were, a treatise on self help and ethics, and somehow the horrific style of writing had convinced me that I needed it. All the headaches I had gone through to understand even a sliver of his nonsense.


There are no rules in writing, but rather as in Jazz--there are reasons. There is cause and effect. A given 'rule' will produce a given result, but it might not be the only


way, or the best. It is ironic that this was the theme of the nasty book mentioned above--that if it works it is right. But see to it that you consider this always, and measure carefully what advice you place.