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Friday, September 4, 2026

Fussy writing, pretentious writing, fancy writing

 

Fussy writing is done with an eye to not make a mistake. A fussy writer might distinguish between continual and continuous, maybe. There is nothing wrong with a little bit of fussiness, but some writers think in terms of shibboleths.  "I will never use the word thus or hence," they might think. I don't use these words very much, but I don't want to mostly be on the defensive when I'm writing.  Most of the customary shibboleths are kind of stupid. Avoiding them won't make me a good writer; they are more like talismans that I think might offer some protection against the accusations of not being a careful writer.  We were taught to write "Lorca, however...." instead of "However, Lorca...."  What's important is being able to choose, though. 

Pretentious writing: I am adopting a pose, "interrogating the conditions of ..."  The jargon itself is the point: it me you in the club with others who share that vocabulary. It's not even fussy, doesn't rise to that level, because it isn't attuned to fine distinctions or the avoidance of mistakes. 

What I like right now is fancy writing. What I mean is that each word is the right one, the sentences are balanced and flowing.  I don't repeat that many words, because each paragraph brings me something new where the words will be different. I can avoid pretentiousness, not worry about fussiness. 

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