Nice post, Richard, and Gram Parsons--sigh--so amazing. But really, I just came here because a friend sent me this, and I thought you had to see if you haven't already.
Your thoughts on brevity strike a chord. I too write at length - my longest essay on Substack clocked in at 6,000 words or so - and while I know that my approach is doing everything you are not supposed to do when writing online, I feel a glee at bucking the trend and gratefully finding an audience for my work. The great thing (maybe the greatest) about Substack is that it accommodates writing of all kind, and I delight in those who opt to writing long-form essays (while appreciative of those who write more judiciously and briefly).
Thanks Robert. Yes, the mixed economy is one of the pleasures of Substack. And hopefully us longformers don't need to feel too defensive. I was trying to be a bit playful with the topic and also reflect on some non-writing long forms I like, while being aware that I still wanted to say something in response to the advice to 'write less'!
You've touched on a struggle that many of us (probably more men than women, though i could be wrong) struggle with. Brevity. I know I do. I have read and have been told many times that readers will not read past 1000 words. And those 1k better be exciting. Whether 1000 words qualifies as brevity is not for me to decide. I suppose it depends on the context. I do know that flash fiction is usually 750 words max. But if you are writing a thesis, 1000 seems brevititious. Not a real word I don't think, but what word would best suit the act of brevity? Breving? Brevitudinous? I would assume the right answer would have the fewest letters. Perhaps it's being brave. Or Breve. Whatever the answer, I will stand up and applaud, shouting, "Bravo!" or maybe "Brevo!"
Thanks Steve. Yes, I was thinking that giving myself 1000 words for my 'brief' post was probably quite indulgent! I like 'brevititious', not least for its lack of brevity!
Of course, for those of us who write about music, even before we get to matters of brevity, there's that other big boulder which is often placed in our way: the sheer 'usefulness' (or not) of writing about music at all. I'm sure we're all familiar with versions of this. It can be odd hearing it from a music journalist, but, when I was writing this post, I looked at the Wikipedia entry on Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel, to see if there was anything interesting there. There's a quote from Allan Jones (from his time at Melody Maker, prior to his period at Uncut): "Both GP and Grievous Angel need no analysis. There are no words to describe the sense of desperation and the haunting quality of these last works. They just need to be listened to." So there's another version of brevity!
And one more anecdote, to make this comment even longer. I was once introduced by a colleague to a man who was starting a master's degree in Music, a creative practitioner. I was introduced by my colleague as 'a musicologist', to which the man said, 'I hope you're not one of those musicologists who use eight words where one will do'. I replied that I was and that, in my experience, one word would very rarely do.
I suppose I just mean that over time I have become tired of encountering a certain kind of bluff, 'no nonsense' approach to talking about things, where eveyrthing is supposedly obvious and it's just about stating clearly and consiely how things are.
Trying to be brief. And did think one word would do. But there is a happy medium where we aren’t so deluded as to believe that a reader will appropriately interpret and assign meaning to a single word and blathering on when the point has been made. That’s where revision comes into play. I try and “finish” a post a day before i send it out so that I can reread it again with fresh eyes. i invariably will find a dozen lines to cut for redundancy. And shaping and tightening also usually happen. i also sometimes add sentences for clarity so it isn’t necessarily shorter.
Firstly, thank you for the mention of my piece on Nick Drake’s “Road,” Richard!
Brevity. That is something I, too, as a writer, can use more of. I suspect this comment will probably be the perfect example of my struggle with keeping things short and to the point.
I can see myself when reading your essay as my Master's thesis was a few pages longer than any of my classmates. Most of my Substack posts are 7-13 minute reads, and I, too, was always a C90 mix tape guy. However, I collect records over singles and love the album format of an opening and closing on each side, and I even think of my Spotify playlists as albums and choose songs wisely based on a theme. I approach it like making a mix tape. So, they are often no longer than 90 minutes, no band is included more than once, and I always listen to the end of a song and the beginning of the next song to ensure the playlist flows well. However, I realize this last point is lost when I share it, and people hit "shuffle."
Minimalism can sometimes be the loudest voice. Nick Drake's 'Road' says more to me in its brief two minutes than many artists can on an entire album. Same with short films. But, as a writer, I struggle to find that voice that can say in under 1000 words, concisely what I wish to say. Before publishing, I repeatedly tell myself that if I am writing something engaging and worth saying, readers will stay despite its length. At least, that’s my hope.
Thank you for your thoughtful essay. It was a perfect example of brevity.
Thanks for responding, Michael. You're so right about 'Road' and that is something I love about songs in general, that use of condensation that allows the combination of lyric, voice and other music to say so much in such a brief time.
I agree that people are likely to stay if something engages and I was heartened to see several Substackers make comments along those lines in response to that 'write less' post I link to above. At the same time, it was a good provocation. I quite enjoyed the ruthless cutting of over 300 words from my first draft of 'On Brevity', having made the promise to keep it under 1000 words!
Nice post, Richard, and Gram Parsons--sigh--so amazing. But really, I just came here because a friend sent me this, and I thought you had to see if you haven't already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSXoM0WIUUg
Thanks Sue! There's a lot going on here, isn't there: homage, revisiting the past as remembered but also altered, evocative objects ...
Your thoughts on brevity strike a chord. I too write at length - my longest essay on Substack clocked in at 6,000 words or so - and while I know that my approach is doing everything you are not supposed to do when writing online, I feel a glee at bucking the trend and gratefully finding an audience for my work. The great thing (maybe the greatest) about Substack is that it accommodates writing of all kind, and I delight in those who opt to writing long-form essays (while appreciative of those who write more judiciously and briefly).
Thanks Robert. Yes, the mixed economy is one of the pleasures of Substack. And hopefully us longformers don't need to feel too defensive. I was trying to be a bit playful with the topic and also reflect on some non-writing long forms I like, while being aware that I still wanted to say something in response to the advice to 'write less'!
It was a good piece and certainly resonated with me.
You've touched on a struggle that many of us (probably more men than women, though i could be wrong) struggle with. Brevity. I know I do. I have read and have been told many times that readers will not read past 1000 words. And those 1k better be exciting. Whether 1000 words qualifies as brevity is not for me to decide. I suppose it depends on the context. I do know that flash fiction is usually 750 words max. But if you are writing a thesis, 1000 seems brevititious. Not a real word I don't think, but what word would best suit the act of brevity? Breving? Brevitudinous? I would assume the right answer would have the fewest letters. Perhaps it's being brave. Or Breve. Whatever the answer, I will stand up and applaud, shouting, "Bravo!" or maybe "Brevo!"
Thanks Steve. Yes, I was thinking that giving myself 1000 words for my 'brief' post was probably quite indulgent! I like 'brevititious', not least for its lack of brevity!
Of course, for those of us who write about music, even before we get to matters of brevity, there's that other big boulder which is often placed in our way: the sheer 'usefulness' (or not) of writing about music at all. I'm sure we're all familiar with versions of this. It can be odd hearing it from a music journalist, but, when I was writing this post, I looked at the Wikipedia entry on Gram Parsons' Grievous Angel, to see if there was anything interesting there. There's a quote from Allan Jones (from his time at Melody Maker, prior to his period at Uncut): "Both GP and Grievous Angel need no analysis. There are no words to describe the sense of desperation and the haunting quality of these last works. They just need to be listened to." So there's another version of brevity!
And one more anecdote, to make this comment even longer. I was once introduced by a colleague to a man who was starting a master's degree in Music, a creative practitioner. I was introduced by my colleague as 'a musicologist', to which the man said, 'I hope you're not one of those musicologists who use eight words where one will do'. I replied that I was and that, in my experience, one word would very rarely do.
I suppose I just mean that over time I have become tired of encountering a certain kind of bluff, 'no nonsense' approach to talking about things, where eveyrthing is supposedly obvious and it's just about stating clearly and consiely how things are.
Amen.
Trying to be brief. And did think one word would do. But there is a happy medium where we aren’t so deluded as to believe that a reader will appropriately interpret and assign meaning to a single word and blathering on when the point has been made. That’s where revision comes into play. I try and “finish” a post a day before i send it out so that I can reread it again with fresh eyes. i invariably will find a dozen lines to cut for redundancy. And shaping and tightening also usually happen. i also sometimes add sentences for clarity so it isn’t necessarily shorter.
Firstly, thank you for the mention of my piece on Nick Drake’s “Road,” Richard!
Brevity. That is something I, too, as a writer, can use more of. I suspect this comment will probably be the perfect example of my struggle with keeping things short and to the point.
I can see myself when reading your essay as my Master's thesis was a few pages longer than any of my classmates. Most of my Substack posts are 7-13 minute reads, and I, too, was always a C90 mix tape guy. However, I collect records over singles and love the album format of an opening and closing on each side, and I even think of my Spotify playlists as albums and choose songs wisely based on a theme. I approach it like making a mix tape. So, they are often no longer than 90 minutes, no band is included more than once, and I always listen to the end of a song and the beginning of the next song to ensure the playlist flows well. However, I realize this last point is lost when I share it, and people hit "shuffle."
Minimalism can sometimes be the loudest voice. Nick Drake's 'Road' says more to me in its brief two minutes than many artists can on an entire album. Same with short films. But, as a writer, I struggle to find that voice that can say in under 1000 words, concisely what I wish to say. Before publishing, I repeatedly tell myself that if I am writing something engaging and worth saying, readers will stay despite its length. At least, that’s my hope.
Thank you for your thoughtful essay. It was a perfect example of brevity.
Thanks for responding, Michael. You're so right about 'Road' and that is something I love about songs in general, that use of condensation that allows the combination of lyric, voice and other music to say so much in such a brief time.
I agree that people are likely to stay if something engages and I was heartened to see several Substackers make comments along those lines in response to that 'write less' post I link to above. At the same time, it was a good provocation. I quite enjoyed the ruthless cutting of over 300 words from my first draft of 'On Brevity', having made the promise to keep it under 1000 words!