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All the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.
Francine Prose
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Good writing is about making careful word choices that effectively convey meaning.

In this quote, Francine Prose emphasizes the importance of word selection in writing. The effectiveness of a written piece relies not only on the ideas presented but primarily on the writer's ability to choose the most appropriate words to express those ideas clearly and engagingly.

Themes

WritingWordsSkillChoiceLanguage

In practice

Example use cases

In a writing workshop, a facilitator might say, 'Remember, all the elements of good writing depend on the writer's skill in choosing one word instead of another.'

More from Francine Prose

I can no more reread my own books than I can watch old home movies or look at snapshots of myself as a child. I wind up sitting on the floor, paralyzed by grief and nostalgia.
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What’s strange is how many beginning writers seem to think that grammar is irrelevant, or that they are somehow above or beyond this subject more fit for a schoolchild than the future author of great literature.
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