I really do desire to blog, or at least share my thoughts through writing. My primary reason for desiring to write is to accomplish a broader understanding of what I have read; kind of an introverted approach to living out what I read. But in so doing, maybe I can invite others to join me in both what I read and my ensuing conversations; as well as sharing in experiences related to what I eat and drink.
I am in the process of evolving into a true fan of Earnest Hemingway, the author that produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the mid-1950s and awarded the 1954 Nobel Prize in Literature. He published seven novels, six short-story collections, and two nonfiction works. While reading some of his works over the last several years I have come to appreciate his writing style and approach to writing a story.
Earlier this year, while on a trip to Boston I purchased this 1st Edition copy of Hemingway’s memoir “A Moveable Feast” about his time in Pairs. A few months after that trip while preparing for our first trip to Paris, I read this memoir, and was intrigued with his statement, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”. Shortly after that time I read his short story “Big Two-Hearted River” in which I began to understand another writing “theory” associated with Mr. Hemingway known as the “Iceberg” theory of writing. This theory practices a minimalism in your approach to writing. Be concise and omit things and allow yourself to omit “unnecessary” details and thoughts, thus allowing the reader to fill in the gaps with their understanding and interpretation.
Recently, these two aspects, or approaches, of Hemingway’s writing caused me to reflect on my inability to maintain my own blogging efforts. Would I better accomplish my intentions for blogging by incorporating these two guiding principles? Could I improve the readability of my blog posts by emulating a combination of these two approaches? Well, that’s what I’m going to attempt to do with this renewed effort to advance this hobby in my retirement years. My future posts will be based on “one true sentence” and a minimalistic approach to inviting you into my “experience”. I will also be “activating” my Instagram posts to couple with my blogging efforts.
To quote Hemingway….. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”