Det nemmeste ved at skrive er faktisk at skrive. Historien er planlagt, fingrene danser over tastaturet, karaktererne bliver levende, plottet udfolder sig, og alt er skønt. Inden du ser dig om, har du skrevet en hel roman, og så … Så kommer det svære.

Det sværeste i en skriveproces er nemlig at redigere. Der er mange tips og tricks til processen. Det er en god idé at øve disse teknikker så tit, du kan, og ikke kun benytte dem, når du gennemgår din historie, når den er færdig.

Kill your darlings, den kender alle skribenter, og den er så vanvittigt svær. Du har netop skrevet firehundrede sider, og du elsker hvert et bogstav og hvert et punktum. Hvordan skal du nu kunne nænne at slette noget af det, og så endda det af det, du elsker mest?

Men sandheden er nu altså, at less is more. Altså mindre er mere.

Det betyder, at du altid skal tænke på din læser, når du skriver. Gør det enkelt. Udtryk dig tydeligt. Kom hurtigt med dine pointer, og sørg for, at du hele tiden giver det bedste, du har. Det betyder ikke, at du ikke kan være kunstnerisk og have et smukt sprog. Tværtimod.

  • Lad det være simpelt
  • Skriv korte sætninger
  • Skriv aktivt: (Subjekt, verbum, objekt. Altså Hun skrev et brev i stedet for Brevet blev skrevet af hende.)

Brug sjældent eller aldrig forstærkninger som ordet meget eller lignende. For eksempel Hun havde en meget god dag. Skriv i stedet: Hun havde en skøn dag.

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

Mark Twain

Forfatteren Mark Twain foreslog, at du bytter ethvert meget ud med damn, og så vil redaktøren slette dem alle, når du er færdig med historien. Så kan du se, at det ord ingen forskel gør.

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

Mark Twain

Mark Twain sagde også engang: ”Jeg havde ikke tid til at skrive et kort brev, så jeg skrev et langt.” Med det mente han, at det er redigeringen efter endt skrivning, der tager mest tid. Det er redigeringen, der er det største arbejde, men også det, der gør skrivningen til kunst.

 

………………….

The easiest part of writing is writing. The story is planned, the fingers dance across the keyboard, the characters come alive, the plot unfolds, and all is well. Before you know it, you have written an entire novel, and then … Then comes the hard part.

The hardest part in the writing process is actually editing. There are many tips and tricks on the process. Practicing these techniques as often as you can is a good idea, and don’t just use them as you go through your story once it’s done.

Kill your darlings, all writers know this one, and it’s so horribly difficult. You finally wrote four-hundred pages, and you love every letter and every full stop. How can you possibly delete any of it, and even the parts you love the most?

But truth is that less is more.

 

 

This means you must always consider your reader when you write. Make it simple. Express yourself clearly. Bring out those points quickly and make sure you always give the best you have. This doesn’t mean you cannot be creative and have a beautiful language. Quite the opposite.

  • Let it be simple
  • Write short sentences
  • Write actively (Subject, verb, object. That is She wrote a letter in stead of The letter was written by her.)

Never or rarely use amplifications like the word very or others like it. For example She had a very good day. Instead write: She had a wonderful day.

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

Mark Twain

The writer Mark Twin suggested that you trade every very with damn, then your editor will delete every one of them. Then you can see that this word doesn’t do anything.

 

“I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”

Mark Twain

Mark Twain also once said “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” By that he meant that editing after writing takes more time than the writing itself. Editing is the hardest part, but this is also what makes writing art.