Have you ever regretted the way in which you once wrote? In this week’s New York Times “Bookends” column, Anna Holmes and Leslie Jamison take this question on. A few early mistakes, as listed by Holmes:
Inserting myself into reported narratives where I didn’t belong.
Crafting long, complex sentences that I thought made me sound intelligent and sophisticated.
Assuming that aggressive, masculine-sounding prose was the ideal style of writing because it was so frequently rewarded in my literature and composition classes.
Taking too long to get to the point.