Open Writing

The great thing about modern writing is it’s easy to start: bum on seat, fingers at keyboard, start typing. The computer and keyboard hugely facilitate writing and editing, saving whole forests of trees.

You might not know where those first few words will take you but – you’ve made a start.

The days when the writer’s study floor was littered with crumpled copy paper from false starts are long gone.

I remember my first efforts as a writer in the 1950s, struggling with the house style of a tabloid newspaper.

“This is so ridiculous,” I told the chief sub editor, an elderly Yorkshire journalist, who had written the style manual.

“What’s ridiculous?” he said.

“Having to write an introductory paragraph of less than 30 words.”

“Look, Shakespeare,” he said. “You aren’t saying that’s too hard, surely?”

“It’s too constricting,” I said.

“Only because you haven’t sorted out your ideas and because your sentences are cluttered.”

I didn’t like the way this conversation was going.

“Think of it this way, “he said. “We’ve a nine em column. Our style is two slugs of metal in 12 point for the intro, then we drop to a par of ten point, and then we’re straight into the body of the story and let it run in eight point.

“If I’m allocating your piece a single column top on page one, I can’t have more than about ten words – 12 max – because it won’t fit the column and will look top heavy.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Who writes a story with nine word intros?”

He looked at me sharply, “Surely you remember the greatest story ever told had only seven words for an intro?”

“Get away,” I said.

He looked over his spectacles at me “In the beginning, God created the world.”

It stopped me cold, and that’s when I started to grow as a writer –get the facts right, spell names correctly, follow the style manual with care, one idea – one sentence. Remember the sub editor’s problems - keep it brief, keep to the point.

And have mercy upon the poor readers.