Culture For The Non-Cultured

Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five, Welcome to the Monkey House, and other novels contributed fantastic words of advice to writers in a newspaper years ago, re-published on San Diego State University website (via Kottke via Chris Glass)

Vonnegut’s whole article is great — self-deprecating and witty and downright charming. His suggestions are for writing, but I think that some of these would not be bad to follow in the course of everyday conversation and life in general.

Here’s his little summary of his tips: 

1. Find a subject you care about

2. Do not ramble, though

3. Keep it simple

4. Have guts to cut

5. Sound like yourself

6. Say what you mean

7. Pity the readers