Reading Cormac McCarthy initially sends my brain into a tizzy! As our bodies need to acclimate to the gentle rhythm when adrift at sea, our minds have grown accustomed to the standard punctuation rules to hold the words and phrases in their proper places, which makes his writing feel like a swaying boat. After a few chapters, the flow is so natural it's hardly noticeable. It's getting off the boat and walking on stable ground (reading any other author), which then feels disorienting. His bravery and creativity are incredible.
How fascinating. That degree of confidence astonishes me. My favorite aspect of this piece is the intellectual generosity of helping others craft the best and most compelling expression of their ideas. His multidisciplinary curiosity is also beautiful. Thanks for the vivid visual of McCarthy’s punctuation versus Faulkner’s. If this comment feels staccato it’s because I’m trying very hard not to use commas. 🙂
LOL. I’m with you. His generosity is commendable. Same with his curiosity. Science in all its angles and forms was his abiding interest. He published very little nonfiction; the only piece I’m really aware of is something he wrote for Nautilus, the science magazine, on a linguistics puzzle.
What a fascinating article. (I almost put an exclamation point after that last sentence.) I had no idea McCarthy was so interested in science and willing to put his skills in service to it.
Winston Churchill also eschews the comma whenever possible. His writing takes some getting used to.
Interesting all around! That’s what I am doing after a research career. Similar passion no doubt. Cut to the chase, make things readable, remove pretension. Just for academic papers. I met Cormac briefly at SFI, where we both agreed it was a bad idea to block access to the bar table. But I hadn’t yet read his work then, so I was too intimidated to go further. I have read most of it since then. I love his writing and his stories.
LOL. I don’t know. The minute we say something is off limits, someone will try to see if they can incorporate the verboten mark in some sort of meaningful way.
Both of these Lisa Randall books have been sitting on my self for longer than I care to admit. I haven't read them yet. I had no idea McCarthy helped to edit them. Now I'm looking forward to reading them even more than I already was.
As a writer, I both respect and bemoan McCarthy's repudiation of punctuation norms. While a talented writer such as himself may find the flow and successfully convey their meaning while escewing accepted punctuation rules, most novice writers are better served by more CLOSELY following the rules.
But ultimately, learning that the written word is primarily about conveying meaning and NOT necessarily about making sure you have placed your commas in the required place will eliminate much of the intimidation of writing.
I totally agree. As you can tell from the piece itself, I don’t subscribe to McCarthy’s unease about punctuation. I’ve been a professional editor for more than two decades now; more writers—and their readers—would be served by greater attention to the rules. I say that knowing full well they’re largely arbitrary and ultimately must serve the message, not the other way around.
Agree. Just because a genius can do it doesn't mean it can be imitated effectively. I'll admit it. I still struggle with the lack of quotation marks in his work. Just infuriates me to no end at some points in his novels.
And yet, I always push on. That's how great McCarthy really is.
The point is that you have to know and understand the conventional rules if you are going to break them in your own work. Faulkner does this as well this year’s Booker winner Paul Lynch.
“Use minimalism to achieve clarity” seems to me perhaps the scientist’s equivalent of the famous writer’s instruction, learned from reading and applying the maxim in Strunk & White’s book, The Elements of Style, which is “Make every word count.”
The creator of that one simple yet crystal clear sentence is someone I’m truly envious of - who wouldn’t wish they had been the one to think of it and to give it to the world?
And in case you’re wondering, it wasn’t Gary Provost who originally thought it or said it, although he did publish a book with the sentence as its title. Nor was it Jane Friedman, a woman who has also written about that famous sentence, which every editor uses and I’m sure secretly wishes they could claim as their own invention.
Personally, I’ve always loved Strunk & White’s book, The Elements of Style, and I cherish their witty maxim that every writer should use and that every good editor certainly does use, Cormac McCarthy included.
Oh, and for a sweet read on proper punctuation and why it matters, run don’t walk(!) to get the book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves,” which is prone tickle one’s funny bone while imparting lots of really helpful and useful information for both writers and editors alike.
I can relate on the “I do t hang out with writers” thing. Personally, I yearn to have writer friends, yet 99% of my droogs are software alpha geeks, MBAs, military folk, blue collar, and / or in the clergy. My only IRL writer friend is also a full-time cancer researcher at (insert prestigious institution here) and only writes on the side.
.
This is me to other writers—please be my friend! :)
This piece made me think of Casey Cep's Furious Hours and its account of the trouble Harper Lee had in trying to write an account of a true-crime case. By the 1970s, she no longer had the agent and editors that had helped her with Mockingbird. McCarthy, on the other hand, seems such a sure-footed practitioner that – though I'm sure he benefited from a good publishing team – it is hard to imagine him failing to get to grips with a book he believed in.
Very interesting article! And yes, I meant the exclamation point. There is “interesting” and “interesting!” Maybe punctuation is for lazy writers…it takes more work to verbally show intensity.
I’m waiting for someone to remove the man- made punctuation from the Bible and then see how it reads. I’m already shocked when I take out the editor’s inserted section descriptions placed within a letter or a gospel.
Read Ephesians without those and then tell me editors can’t sway the reading.
Reading Cormac McCarthy initially sends my brain into a tizzy! As our bodies need to acclimate to the gentle rhythm when adrift at sea, our minds have grown accustomed to the standard punctuation rules to hold the words and phrases in their proper places, which makes his writing feel like a swaying boat. After a few chapters, the flow is so natural it's hardly noticeable. It's getting off the boat and walking on stable ground (reading any other author), which then feels disorienting. His bravery and creativity are incredible.
True. It’s interesting that there is a rhythm and logic to the words themselves. Once you find the groove it just flows.
Agree.
How fascinating. That degree of confidence astonishes me. My favorite aspect of this piece is the intellectual generosity of helping others craft the best and most compelling expression of their ideas. His multidisciplinary curiosity is also beautiful. Thanks for the vivid visual of McCarthy’s punctuation versus Faulkner’s. If this comment feels staccato it’s because I’m trying very hard not to use commas. 🙂
LOL. I’m with you. His generosity is commendable. Same with his curiosity. Science in all its angles and forms was his abiding interest. He published very little nonfiction; the only piece I’m really aware of is something he wrote for Nautilus, the science magazine, on a linguistics puzzle.
What a fascinating article. (I almost put an exclamation point after that last sentence.) I had no idea McCarthy was so interested in science and willing to put his skills in service to it.
Winston Churchill also eschews the comma whenever possible. His writing takes some getting used to.
Thanks, Thaddeus! I use all those marks with considerably less reserve than McCarthy, but then he’s Cormac McCarthy :)
I find his stridency and self-restraint fascinating.
Interesting all around! That’s what I am doing after a research career. Similar passion no doubt. Cut to the chase, make things readable, remove pretension. Just for academic papers. I met Cormac briefly at SFI, where we both agreed it was a bad idea to block access to the bar table. But I hadn’t yet read his work then, so I was too intimidated to go further. I have read most of it since then. I love his writing and his stories.
Pardon the exclamation point.
All is forgiven!
What a wonderful memory.
Theres simply no place in literature for bullet points.
LOL. I don’t know. The minute we say something is off limits, someone will try to see if they can incorporate the verboten mark in some sort of meaningful way.
Both of these Lisa Randall books have been sitting on my self for longer than I care to admit. I haven't read them yet. I had no idea McCarthy helped to edit them. Now I'm looking forward to reading them even more than I already was.
Kind of cool, right? It adds something interesting knowing that.
It really does! Anxious to see if I can pick up on when I read it.
As a writer, I both respect and bemoan McCarthy's repudiation of punctuation norms. While a talented writer such as himself may find the flow and successfully convey their meaning while escewing accepted punctuation rules, most novice writers are better served by more CLOSELY following the rules.
But ultimately, learning that the written word is primarily about conveying meaning and NOT necessarily about making sure you have placed your commas in the required place will eliminate much of the intimidation of writing.
I totally agree. As you can tell from the piece itself, I don’t subscribe to McCarthy’s unease about punctuation. I’ve been a professional editor for more than two decades now; more writers—and their readers—would be served by greater attention to the rules. I say that knowing full well they’re largely arbitrary and ultimately must serve the message, not the other way around.
Agree. Just because a genius can do it doesn't mean it can be imitated effectively. I'll admit it. I still struggle with the lack of quotation marks in his work. Just infuriates me to no end at some points in his novels.
And yet, I always push on. That's how great McCarthy really is.
Awesome
Thanks, Richard!
The point is that you have to know and understand the conventional rules if you are going to break them in your own work. Faulkner does this as well this year’s Booker winner Paul Lynch.
Someone who doesn’t understand this? Bob Dylan. The Philosophy of Modern Song is a punctuation train wreck. Still a great book.
I agree completely. It begs the question, how does one edit the mind?
There is a similar concept at work in physics.
Very interesting, thank you
Thanks! And thanks for reading!
“Use minimalism to achieve clarity” seems to me perhaps the scientist’s equivalent of the famous writer’s instruction, learned from reading and applying the maxim in Strunk & White’s book, The Elements of Style, which is “Make every word count.”
The creator of that one simple yet crystal clear sentence is someone I’m truly envious of - who wouldn’t wish they had been the one to think of it and to give it to the world?
And in case you’re wondering, it wasn’t Gary Provost who originally thought it or said it, although he did publish a book with the sentence as its title. Nor was it Jane Friedman, a woman who has also written about that famous sentence, which every editor uses and I’m sure secretly wishes they could claim as their own invention.
Personally, I’ve always loved Strunk & White’s book, The Elements of Style, and I cherish their witty maxim that every writer should use and that every good editor certainly does use, Cormac McCarthy included.
Oh, and for a sweet read on proper punctuation and why it matters, run don’t walk(!) to get the book “Eats, Shoots and Leaves,” which is prone tickle one’s funny bone while imparting lots of really helpful and useful information for both writers and editors alike.
I can relate on the “I do t hang out with writers” thing. Personally, I yearn to have writer friends, yet 99% of my droogs are software alpha geeks, MBAs, military folk, blue collar, and / or in the clergy. My only IRL writer friend is also a full-time cancer researcher at (insert prestigious institution here) and only writes on the side.
.
This is me to other writers—please be my friend! :)
*don’t
This piece made me think of Casey Cep's Furious Hours and its account of the trouble Harper Lee had in trying to write an account of a true-crime case. By the 1970s, she no longer had the agent and editors that had helped her with Mockingbird. McCarthy, on the other hand, seems such a sure-footed practitioner that – though I'm sure he benefited from a good publishing team – it is hard to imagine him failing to get to grips with a book he believed in.
Very interesting article! And yes, I meant the exclamation point. There is “interesting” and “interesting!” Maybe punctuation is for lazy writers…it takes more work to verbally show intensity.
I’m waiting for someone to remove the man- made punctuation from the Bible and then see how it reads. I’m already shocked when I take out the editor’s inserted section descriptions placed within a letter or a gospel.
Read Ephesians without those and then tell me editors can’t sway the reading.
This was such an enjoyable and insightful read. Thank you so much for sharing it! It gave me a lot to think about as a writer in training.