Loved this, incredible analysis. Some favorite lines:
“…and the soup of scenes leaves us without a souvenir.
Just because something is elegant in its micro-structure, doesn’t means it gets a pass from the macro sledgehammer.
By sculpting ideas with extreme care, they move through the reader’s veins with no confusion and max potency.”
So well written. The review especially resonated with me having already read the essay (per your rec). Agreed about his style being a perfect score, it was a joy to read it.
In terms of the review format — some of White’s best work is highlighted midway through (scale to convey awe, use of imagery. What if you brought a few top highlights to the very top of the next review, to give a sample of to your reader (especially those who haven’t read the essay being revered). Ex: the millions of gallons of water line is so good. Maybe you hook more people in to read the whole thing by sharing the best prose excerpts up front.
Reminds me of Scott Van Pelt, a star anchor at ESPN who now has his own name-brand version of SportsCenter that runs at midnight ET. Before any highlights or analysis he shares “the best thing I saw today” right at the top of the show. A funny, surprising or heart-warming clip that hooks people in. Then he gets to all the substance. It’s no coincidence his ratings are higher than the rest (one of many tactics he uses).
Starting off with the absolute best few lines of the essay could be your version of that.
I can't imagine ever being able to see and think and process like this. Whatever this thing is that your brain does, detecting and unraveling these patterns, it's truly remarkable. Do you always think like this, or are you able to just like . . . eat a popsicle sometimes?
Loved this analysis. After education around grammatical rules, then voice, then structure, you eventually have to just write. So a structure absorbed becomes an intuitive process. Is that becoming a mature writer — when you can unfold the intuitive process to reveal the structured corset? Relearn, reabsorb and rewrite. This journey sure is delightful.
Thank you for this close reading of style and writerly architecture - I still have so much to learn, particularly around my macro approach. I look forward to rereading and referencing again very soon.
Loved this, incredible analysis. Some favorite lines:
“…and the soup of scenes leaves us without a souvenir.
Just because something is elegant in its micro-structure, doesn’t means it gets a pass from the macro sledgehammer.
By sculpting ideas with extreme care, they move through the reader’s veins with no confusion and max potency.”
So well written. The review especially resonated with me having already read the essay (per your rec). Agreed about his style being a perfect score, it was a joy to read it.
In terms of the review format — some of White’s best work is highlighted midway through (scale to convey awe, use of imagery. What if you brought a few top highlights to the very top of the next review, to give a sample of to your reader (especially those who haven’t read the essay being revered). Ex: the millions of gallons of water line is so good. Maybe you hook more people in to read the whole thing by sharing the best prose excerpts up front.
Reminds me of Scott Van Pelt, a star anchor at ESPN who now has his own name-brand version of SportsCenter that runs at midnight ET. Before any highlights or analysis he shares “the best thing I saw today” right at the top of the show. A funny, surprising or heart-warming clip that hooks people in. Then he gets to all the substance. It’s no coincidence his ratings are higher than the rest (one of many tactics he uses).
Starting off with the absolute best few lines of the essay could be your version of that.
Agree about including more passages from the essay in the review!
I can't imagine ever being able to see and think and process like this. Whatever this thing is that your brain does, detecting and unraveling these patterns, it's truly remarkable. Do you always think like this, or are you able to just like . . . eat a popsicle sometimes?
Excellent!
Loved this analysis. After education around grammatical rules, then voice, then structure, you eventually have to just write. So a structure absorbed becomes an intuitive process. Is that becoming a mature writer — when you can unfold the intuitive process to reveal the structured corset? Relearn, reabsorb and rewrite. This journey sure is delightful.
Thank you for this close reading of style and writerly architecture - I still have so much to learn, particularly around my macro approach. I look forward to rereading and referencing again very soon.
The only problem I have with these reviews is that I want 100 more of them.