Arthur Krystal ponders why it is that "most writers . . . seem to be smarter in print than in person." He conjectures that it's because there is "a rhythm to writing that catches notes that ordinarily stay out of earshot. At some point between formulating a thought and writing it down falls a nanosecond when the thought becomes a sentence that would, in all likelihood, have a different shape if we were to speak it."
Well, yes, that's true. But the nanoseconds also allow drafts of pomposity to spill in, tangents and other clutter to accumulate. Which is why it's surprising that Krystal says not a word about redrafting. Redrafting is what allows the writer to get rid of the less smart-seeming stuff. (“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety one pages of shit.” Hemingway.) So if there's one thing about the process of writing that most makes you seem smart, it's the redrafting, not the writing.
For example, none of the sentences on this page is the same as it was first typed. (It's all a fraud.)
(Via Arts & Letters Daily.)
