Full Transcript
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJJ68EWPeHs
[00:00] In 1999, David Foster Wallace wrote a lengthy review on a book titled Dictionary of Modern American Usage.
[00:07] And as it goes, the author of the book, Brian Garner, was moved by the review so much that he later wrote of it, it changed my literary life in ways that a book review really can.
[00:18] So naturally, the two writers struck up an email correspondence that eventually evolved into a close friendship.
[00:21] And out of that friendship came a special meeting in a Los Angeles hotel room seven years later, a physical interview conducted by Mr. Garner on David Foster Wallace, which left a series of conversations to be published in 2008, the same year of Wallace's tragic death.
[00:36] The book was titled, "Quack This Way: David Foster Wallace and Brian A. Garner Talk Language and Writing."
[00:42] And as the name infers, it spans many of Mr. Wallace's ideas on writing, self-improvement, and how to become an authentic individual.
[00:48] But for the purpose of this video, we'll be focusing on David Foster Wallace's advice on how to be a good writer.
[00:54] And as it happens, good writing was something that Garner wanted to clarify right out of the gate, asking David Foster Wallace to begin by defining what good writing.
[01:02] To begin by defining what good writing is.
[01:04] To which he responded in the broadest possible sense, writing well means to communicate clearly and interestingly, and in a way that feels alive to the reader.
[01:12] Where there's some kind of relationship between the writer and the reader, even though it's mediated by some kind of text, there's an electricity about it.
[01:17] And so here are David Foster Wallace's five insightful tips on how to become a good writer.
[01:22] Number one, get a usage dictionary.
[01:24] David Foster Wallace said, 'I urge my students to get a usage dictionary to recognize that you need a usage dictionary.'
[01:30] You have to be paying a level of attention to your own writing that very few people are doing.
[01:34] A usage dictionary is like a linguistic hard drive.
[01:37] For me, the big trio is a big dictionary, a usage dictionary, a thesaurus, only because I cannot retain and move nimbly around in enough of the language not to need these extra sources.
[01:49] As a teacher, about ninety percent of my job is getting the students to understand why they might need one.
[01:55] And if you're confused as to what a usage dictionary is, as opposed to a standard dictionary like a Webster's New World, a standard dictionary will give you lexical information; it will tell you.
[02:04] lexical information it will tell you what words mean whereas a usage
[02:05] what words mean whereas a usage dictionary will give you advice on how
[02:08] dictionary will give you advice on how when or if you should use a word in a
[02:10] when or if you should use a word in a certain context also if you want to know
[02:11] certain context also if you want to know the reason for why say infer and imply
[02:13] the reason for why say infer and imply are often confused or how they're
[02:15] are often confused or how they're evolving over time as they in fact are a
[02:18] evolving over time as they in fact are a usage dictionary will give you that
[02:20] usage dictionary will give you that information Mr Wallace also shares why
[02:22] information Mr Wallace also shares why you should consider keeping a usage
[02:23] you should consider keeping a usage dictionary in your bathroom a usage
[02:25] dictionary in your bathroom a usage dictionary is one of those great
[02:26] dictionary is one of those great bathroom books of all time because it
[02:28] bathroom books of all time because it has the appeal of trivia the entries are
[02:30] has the appeal of trivia the entries are for the most part brief and you end up
[02:32] for the most part brief and you end up within 48 hours due to that weird
[02:34] within 48 hours due to that weird psychological effect actually drawing on
[02:36] psychological effect actually drawing on exactly what you learned in some weird
[02:38] exactly what you learned in some weird coincidental way number two a good
[02:40] coincidental way number two a good opener never fails David Foster Wallace
[02:43] opener never fails David Foster Wallace said a good opener first and foremost
[02:46] said a good opener first and foremost fails to repel rather it's interesting
[02:48] fails to repel rather it's interesting and engaging it lays out the terms of an
[02:50] and engaging it lays out the terms of an argument and in my opinion should also
[02:52] argument and in my opinion should also in some way imply the stakes if one did
[02:55] in some way imply the stakes if one did it deftly one could and one paragraph
[02:57] it deftly one could and one paragraph opening grab the reader State the terms
[02:59] opening grab the reader State the terms of the argument and stay take the
[03:00] of the argument and stay take the motivation for the argument I imagine
[03:02] motivation for the argument I imagine most good argumentative stuff that I've
[03:04] most good argumentative stuff that I've read you could boil that down to the opener number three the reader cannot read your mind and I'll preface this by saying that it's this lesson that was the most important for him to communicate to his students he said in my experience with students talented students of writing the most important thing for them to remember is that someone who is not them and cannot read their mind is going to have to read this in order to write effectively you don't pretend it's a letter to some individual you know but you never forget that what you're engaged in is a communication to another human being the bromide associated with this is that the reader cannot read your mind that would be the biggest one after this he gives a close second to the importance of paying attention to the structure of your writing he said probably the second biggest lesson is learning to pay attention in different ways not just reading a lot but paying attention to the way the sentences are put together the Clauses are joined the way the sentences go to make up a paragraph number four assume the reader is smart David Foster Wallace said regardless of whom you're writing for or what you think about the current debate state of
[04:05] think about the current debate state of the English language right in which the the English language right in which the President says things that would President says things that would embarrass a junior high school student embarrass a junior high school student.
[04:10] the fact remains that the average person the fact remains that the average person you're writing for is an acute sensitive you're writing for is an acute sensitive attentive sophisticated reader who will attentive sophisticated reader who will appreciate adroitness Precision economy appreciate adroitness Precision economy and Clarity.
[04:19] not always but I think the and Clarity not always but I think the vast majority of the time and number vast majority of the time and number five punctuate to process not pronounce.
[04:24] five punctuate to process not pronounce David Foster Wallace said reading is a David Foster Wallace said reading is a very strange thing we get talked to very strange thing we get talked to about it and talk explicitly about it in about it and talk explicitly about it in first grade and second grade and third first grade and second grade and third grade and that it all devolves into grade and that it all devolves into interpretation but when you think about interpretation but when you think about what's going on when you read you're what's going on when you read you're processing information at an incredible processing information at an incredible rate.
[04:42] one measure of how good the writing one measure of how good the writing is is how little effort it requires for is is how little effort it requires for the reader to track what's going on for the reader to track what's going on for example I'm not an absolute believer in.
[04:48] example I'm not an absolute believer in standard punctuation at all times but standard punctuation at all times but one thing that's often a big shock to my one thing that's often a big shock to my students is that punctuation isn't students is that punctuation isn't merely a matter of pacing or how you merely a matter of pacing or how you would read something out loud these would read something out loud these marks are in fact cues to the reader for marks are in fact cues to the reader for how very quickly to organize the various how very quickly to organize the various phrases and clauses of the sentence so.
[05:06] phrases and clauses of the sentence so that the sentence as a whole make sense.
[05:08] that the sentence as a whole make sense one of the things that really good.
[05:10] one of the things that really good writing does is that it's able to get.
[05:12] writing does is that it's able to get across massive amounts of information in.
[05:14] across massive amounts of information in various favorable impressions of the.
[05:16] various favorable impressions of the communicator with minimal effort on part.
[05:18] communicator with minimal effort on part of the reader that's why people use.
[05:19] of the reader that's why people use terms like flow or effortless to.
[05:22] terms like flow or effortless to describe writing that they regard as.
[05:23] describe writing that they regard as really superb they're not saying.
[05:25] really superb they're not saying effortless in terms of it didn't seem.
[05:27] effortless in terms of it didn't seem like the writer spent any work it simply.
[05:29] like the writer spent any work it simply requires no effort to read it the same.
[05:31] requires no effort to read it the same way listening to an incredible.
[05:32] way listening to an incredible Storyteller talk out loud requires no.
[05:34] Storyteller talk out loud requires no effort to pay attention whereas when.
[05:36] effort to pay attention whereas when you're bored you're conscious of how.
[05:38] you're bored you're conscious of how much effort is required to pay attention.
[05:39] much effort is required to pay attention well that wraps up this video guys thank.
[05:41] well that wraps up this video guys thank you for watching also if you have your.
[05:43] you for watching also if you have your own tip or trick in writing that has.
[05:45] own tip or trick in writing that has helped you in your own running Journey.
[05:46] helped you in your own running Journey please feel free to share that in the.
[05:48] please feel free to share that in the writing in the comment section below I.
[05:51] writing in the comment section below I would personally like to know and I'm.
[05:53] would personally like to know and I'm sure others would too otherwise until.
[05:55] sure others would too otherwise until the next one.