My views on writing

Writing is both a craft and an art. We craft our thoughts into a particular sentence structure, which our language strictly defines. A word expresses a single concept. A sentence is a relationship between words that expresses a single idea. A paragraph is a relationship between sentences that expresses a thought. The concept, the idea, and the thought can be simple or complex, intricate or straightforward.

The art of this craft comes from word choice and sentence structure, which have the ability to convey more meaning. Sometimes art conveys more meaning than is necessary; at other times, it confuses. For this reason, I rarely attempt art when crafting my prose. I believe the art of writing should be used rarely and with respect.

The purpose of the prose should guide the balance between art and craft. If writing to convey information, as I often do, then one should place information before all else. In my writing, therefore, style is much less important than structure. If a sentence has extra words, they should be cut. The same goes for extra sentences in a paragraph and extra paragraphs in an article.