Jan 042010

Some years ago while studying the occult, I stumbled across Robert Anton Wilson’s Quantum Psychology, which blew my mind all to pieces.  I still pull out my dog-eared copy every year or two to reinforce my mind-blowness, and it never disappoints.  One major benefit I’ve realized from it, while prosaic, may be of some use to you.

Take this simple advice to start writing better:  Stop using the verb ‘to be’.  If you’re like me, it’ll take you awhile to get the hang of it.  Even today I lapse back into using ‘is’ from time to time, but whenever I put myself in the frame of caring about what I write, the practice returns readily enough.  It couldn’t save the novel I wrote from being a “learning experience”, but at least my prose packs a little punch.

Try it.  If it doesn’t blow your mind, at least your sentences will sparkle.