On Writing Well

"Simplify, Spimplify. Thoreau said it, as we are so often reminded, and no American writer more consistently praticed what he preached. Open Walden to any page and you will find a man saying in a plain and orderly way what is on his mind." I found Chapter 2 entitled "Simplicity" to be very interesting. I have always known the Thoreau quote, "Simplify, simplify," although I have never thought about its meaning. Thoreau meant that writers should strip every sentence to its cleanest components. American literature involves large, unnecessary words. People do not take into effect the term 'short and sweet'. If there is a small word that means the same as a larger word, it is better to use the smaller word. People use unnecessary words for two different reasons: they want their input to seem important or they are trying to seem knowledgeable.