Kurt Vonnegut On Writing With Style
In 1980, International Paper asked Kurt Vonnegut to tell you how to put your style and personality into everything you write. This is his answer.
In a 50 year writing career, Kurt Vonnegut won over a dozen literary awards, including four Hugos. Eight years after his death, he was posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. When asked about his writing, he said his books simply “beg that people be kinder and more responsible than they often are.”
I ran across this piece outlining his advice for writers, published by the International Paper Company in 1980. Enjoy…
“I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over.
Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center.”
―Kurt Vonnegut
Bruce has read a lot more Vonnegut than I have. Every time some insane stuff happens, he can quote a section of a Vonnegut book that presaged it. My time in Sci Fi was long after his. I wonder about it even as a writing form, now that I look at so much of what it is - and how few followed in his footsteps.
Thanks, Linda. It's always great to learn from the masters - you and Kurt. Hope you're staying warm up there - we're at minus five in Wisconsin.