Writing That's 'Clear, Economical, Sharp'

“For any writer, the ability to look at a sentence and see what's superfluous, what can be altered, revised, expanded, and, especially, cut, is essential. It's satisfying to see that sentence shrink, snap into place, and ultimately emerge in a more polished form: clear, economical, sharp.” - Francine Prose

  

Born in Brooklyn, NY, on this date in 1947, Prose – the girl with the perfect name to become a writer – is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, essayist, and critic who also has shared her writing skills on college campuses and workshops for many years.

Prose has authored 19 novels, 3 short story collections, 8 nonfiction books and a children’s book, earning both the PEN and Guggenheim Awards, a Dayton Literary Award, two National Jewish Book Awards, and the Rome Prize.  Among her most popular books are Judah The Pious, Household Saints (also adapted into a popular movie), Blue Angel and her nonfiction writing guide Reading Like A Writer.    She said she often finds herself immersed in her work.

  

“If things are going well,” she said,  “I can easily spend twelve hours a day writing, but not writing writing, just thinking and revising and taking a comma out and putting it back in.”

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