TAN TAN BOOKS
‘The words will be shiny pebbles glinting in the
sunlight beneath the water of a fast flowing stream. James Salter comes to mind. The effect is simple, clear cut and refreshing.
And to learn to do it, unless you are one of those rare ‘naturals,’ takes a
lifetime of writing, rewriting, thinking, crossing out and starting again. But clarity does not always mean that
the words have to be clear straightaway. A first reading of
the The Pedersen Kid by William Gass leaves the reader confused. With a second reading the sense emerges. It is not
that those pebbles in the stream are not shiny enough, it is just that Gass has
laid them out on his river bed in such an unusual pattern that it
takes time for the brain to adjust. But finally, when we get the focus, we realise that the words
are crystal clear.’
(see blog for explantion of pic)