The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed and I wish Stephen King would have followed their story with its original charm of magic realism and pervading mystery. King may have partially denounced The Gunslinger as a somewhat juvenile exercise, but it remains one of his more imaginative works.

There's a fit setup for a hero and companion journey: the lone rugged wanderer shaped by a dramatic past, trekking through desert and decrepit towns in search of a larger-than-life antagonist, a magic realist world with weird elements. And sexually-charged encounters with every single woman in the story to delineate The Dark Tower from classic fantasy.

Mystery surrounds the gunslinger and his travels, as it should a story of magic realism. The Western setting is enticing because Westerns bring the allure of controlled chaos, no-man's-land mixed with the creaky march of civilization. The Dark Tower plays the trope by adding fantasy feats, seemingly without restraint for logic, but mostly bearable in this first book.

The gunslinger, later named Roland, begins the same, as a mystery ripe to unfold. King describes his gear - water bag, guns detailed with lurid adverbs. There's a case to be made for how many cool protagonists are author self-inserts. Here, the case is not clear: King himself appears later in the series in a quirky dismantling of the fourth wall and Roland may as well be any rugged Western hero.

The world's not much of a place in this first book, a wasteland of desert and decrepit towns, but the dearth of characterization fuels the mystery. More than fantasy and sci-fi, surrealism and magic realism thrive on feeding details gradually, on resolving the mystery through symbolism. The Gunslinger achieves this through sparse physical worldbuilding, intentional or not. Later books resolve or add to the mystery in equal parts, not always satisfying.

The fellowship of the gunslinger

The ingredients are classic, but made effective by not wasting time and staying brief - King works with brevity in a way which many of his other books do not. Details are fed in pulpy bursts, through dialogue, lore bits or intriguing flashbacks (minus the one in our world).

A gruff cowboy, not easily startled, emotionally distant at first, questing for an elusive villain, "his body, festooned with guns and water." A fellowship springs up when Roland meets a young boy just as secretive as the hero and the antagonist at first. Roland takes a liking to the boy fast, becoming mentor and companion.

The world is barren, an offshoot of Earth, but laden with mystery and fantasy bits not always explained. Liking this world may depend on your openness to fantasy and keeping secrets secret. King seems to be making some details along the way - then again, this approach keeps the intrigue. This first story does well to not mix more than basic ingredients - the hero, the protege, the antagonist and his minions, the barren world, the trippy and sexual encounters.

The antagonist shares the mystery, is sensuous in his malefic presence, and may as well be the devil. For most of the story we don't know who this elusive man in black is, and why Roland scours the desert for him. But the threat is present from start to end - everywhere Roland arrives, the villain has been and seems to draw the hero to their ultimate fate like complementary principles caught in a roundabout.

More so, as befit good stories of heroes and villains, the two meet eventually and palaver - discuss - their conundrum. The antagonist's monologue about science and ineffability may seem trite and likely solve nothing, but it works to enrich the shroud of mystery and make the reader pine for sequels.

Western fantasy realism

On the Western hero's journey, the series began with a promising trek, but never reached something as momentous as, say, Lord of the Rings. In defense, writing something like TLOTR implies massive planning, a feat which The Dark Tower lacks. Unfortunate is not that TDT pales by comparison - most fantasy does - but that later books vary so much in quality and vision, while TLOTR went full steam ahead on a hero and companion journey which became a classic.

The potential fits: a James Bond-like protagonist, a magic world of mystery at every turn, fantasy and surrealist elements which King sometimes inserts without care for logic or consistency. But a consistent hero's journey may require careful planning and a plot less meandering, shaped on events through which the protagonists find the opportunity for wisdom.

The mood is enticing, a fantasy magic realist blend of Western, gothic and horror which King revisits in later books, but rarely as sweet as in The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass. I consider this the heart of the series: a mystery unfolding across a world like ours but not quite, symbolism and metaphor which don't always find a reasonable explanation.

I can't fault King for the narrative style - I prefer the chaotic lack-of-planning approach to writing myself - but the first and fourth books of The Dark Tower deserved a better series, especially with the advantage of magic surrealism. The Gunslinger thrives on King's more interesting prose, less prone to modern literary trends, more poetic. The following books retain the lyricism in various amounts when adventuring through the fantasy multiverse.

The writing balances showing and telling, while adverbs abound, though King has technically denounced them. Action scenes are fiery, keeping momentum, rarely overstaying their welcome, with a flow which I don't remember from any other King books, save this series.

The princess is in another Dark Tower

The book is pricked by standard issues: women characters are a bit incidental - one exists to screw around with the gunslinger and help him shape his past, then perish by his guns; the second, an intriguing villain, introduced by describing her breasts, a shadow of religious dogma and villainy looming over the foreign gunslinger.

The third, a succubus which divines the future for Roland in a sexually-charged encounter, where they both extract something from the other - a fortune teller bargaining for sexual favors. All three of Roland's encounter's read as fantasies, and only one is likeable. The women in Roland's past which are likeable perish in terrible ways. Women characters get better in following stories. Here, they read a bit like the remnants of fetishes. Say what you will about social sensibilities, this is a book where only one woman gets by after forcefully extracting pleasure from the hero.

A pity The Dark Tower began with a bang and ended with a whimper. Alongside Wizard and Glass, The Gunslinger is more limited in scope, but focused and better for it. The rugged hero, the mysterious villain, the desert and its towns, the trippy fantasy and mentions of our world made a story that understood its scope.

At the same time, it's commendable that King wanted to expand this world in the sequels. No telling how much he wrote the series for himself and how much was fan pressure, but more structure could've transformed The Dark Tower into a Western fantasy classic. It had everything needed except for King's indecision about the ending and questionable fourth wall shenanigans.

If this book holds the potential of a magic realist land where I was comfortable with not uncovering the mystery, the fourth book is where the potential reaches apex. That should have been the culmination of the magic realist adventure. Wizard and Glass took the formula of The Gunslinger and created its own world, less reliant on ours as the other sequels may be. The fourth book is also where King proved he could write a good Western, a feat which he wouldn't repeat in most books.

Even through its failings to challenge more robust works - like TLOTR - I agree how often the joy of experience and stories stands in the journey, not the end. Except when the end appears so undecided and unsatisfactory as the whimper of this story.

Though I enjoy the lack of more traditional narrative structure, this is what the series needed. Focus on what made it particular - magic realism, a world close to ours but never so. The first and the fourth book do it best, keeping the weird fiction in check with its own logic. The other books meander loosely between standard Stephen King modern fiction, fantasy and haphazard weird elements which eschew logic, not always relevant as metaphor and symbolism.

Creative writing is the craft of stories, real or fictional.

Storytelling is also useful in copywriting, which is part creative writing, part psychology, part sales.

... and a worthy endeavor if you love writing. As any skill, creative writing can begin with minimalism and a simple structure.

1. Good writing is about finding the right words

When in doubt, remember good writing is about finding the right word at the right moment - not the simplest, not the quirkiest.

The best word is sometimes the simplest or the most complex - it matters not.

Focusing on simplicity and the right words is the best way for beginners to start writing.

2. Start with a simple sentence

Relax, find the right words, write a simple sentence. Follow with another one which flows naturally. Continue until you have a paragraph.

It's essential to begin, to connect with the mood of your topic or story, and to deliver work. Dreams of grandeur and perfection can wait.

If a story is stubborn, see its core idea, event or character and write a simple sentence. Evoke mood or action, define your protagonist or provide characterization for the world.

For content writing, beginners need one "hard rule": introduce your topic, support it with arguments and march on.

Write short paragraphs, between one and three phrases, and short chapters and headings, between three to five reading minutes.

3. Start with vignettes, write short form often

A vignette is a scene or mix of scenes of anything we want them to be.

Vignettes include action, dialogue, lore, description, stories, whatever tickles your pen or keyboard.

If nothing else, vignettes are useful for worldbuilding, because they escape the three-act structure.

4. Learn vivid words to write vivid prose

Vivid words are wonderful to convey stronger impressions in a limited space.

Vivid words and power words are not always the same. Examples like free, best, improve, may create a strong impression based on context.

Vivid words carry a potent sensation regardless of context. They get to the point faster, offer clearer impressions, and help avoid rambling.

Even if your style or genre deny them, pulpy words sustain brevity, saying more while writing less - any medium can benefit from their magic.

Specific styles or genres which rely on vivid words are noir and pulp.

More of a genre, Noir delights in pulp, but it's doable with simple words.

Pulp may be both, but we can adapt the writing style to any genre - noir, fantasy, sci-fi, maybe less to realism.

• Learn vivid words. Make the thesaurus your friend.

• Read and watch pulp fiction. The writing style, not the movie. The movie excels at pulp dialogue, but don't limit yourself. Read and watch hard-boiled prose regardless of medium and genre.

• Write symbolism in all its forms. Pepper your writing by not revealing explicit ideas. Let cool dialogue do the talking.

5. You must create your own style

If you love writing, you inevitably move toward shaping your own style - essential to give your writing its identity and write what you love.

Emulating other writers works for beginners, but it's essential to turn your writing into a process and set it free.

• Read and write literature, cinema, media which inspire you.

• Write in a space you feel relaxed. The more relaxed the more you focus. the more you immerse yourself and the reader in your work.

• Experiment with style and genre, mix them based on setting and lore.

• Write something you love.

• Consider: if your work would be written by someone else, would it inspire you?

6. Imagination and creativity need time-space

The mind is a machine primed for discovery, and yearns for inspirational ideas and dreaming.

Imagination, creativity, inspiration depend on relaxation and letting go. Their optimal state is a mind devoid of pestering, with time and space to bubble with ideas and connect them.

Reading and watching media which inspires is important, but daydreaming is just so.

• Give yourself time and space - write in an environment where you feel safe and relaxed.

• Let go to make space for imagination.

• Phase out the surrounding world and connect to the mood, the feeling of your story and words.

7. Write what you love

• "Write what you know" is an ever-lasting cliche of the craft. The natural principle which sustains writing is "Write what you love."

• "Write what you know" is a soft rule for novice writers. For beginners, it's best to choose a subject or story you love and use a simple style.

• "Write what you love" is the unspoken principle of writers who are doing it for the love of writing, for the sake of storytelling.

• 'Write what you know' can be misunderstood as requiring expertise. Novice writers who bump into this "rule" may think they should stop unless they're experts in their topic.

• 'Write what you love' skips the expertise "necessity" straight into passion. If you love something, write with simplicity, edit and refine the feeling after.

8. Paint pictures

Write vivid words to instill strong impressions on the senses. Show, don't tell to help place the reader in a more active role.

Showing means describing a place, idea, event, character, lore through implicit means: behavior, feeling, impression. Through showing, readers experience the joy of deciding meaning on their own.

When writing a scene - especially fantasy and sci-fi or their offshoots - see it as a photo, painting, or cinematic shot.

• Let the scene breathe on its own, without forcing an impression.

• Feel and "paint" the scene - light, colors, mood, aroma, sound, feeling, movement.

• Maintain brevity and write details in vivid words - essential impressions only.

9. How to write dialogue

Dialogue in stories speaks Naturalism first, Realism second.

"Realist" dialogue is the one spoken in our world in different cultures with specific vernacular.

Naturalism is a world's ability to create its own identity, organic rules connected logically across the story.

Naturalism speaks with a patois of realism, but adapted to story and world. Not every story uses our brand of realism. Doing so makes fictional worlds sound similar and lose their identity.

Fictional "realism" is curated - the writer decides what form it takes. Otherwise, we find raw realism in documentaries.

• Begin with simple statements.

• Use words specific to the style, culture, period you're writing.

• Mix implicit and explicit language - let characters talk to each other, not reveal everything to the reader.

10. Write love letters to friends - conversational writing

Imagine you have a great friend.

Your friend asks about something you love, and will listen enraptured, like no one has listened before.

Behold conversational writing - accessible language and focus on essential details.

The principle has limits:

• Creative writing is conversational until it bumps naturalism, because dialogue and prose defy realistic chatter - language must be natural, accessible, not simplified for a technical manual.

• Copywriting is conversational by knowing your topic and audience, speaking to them in friendly language - familiar, informational, functional, not demeaning and patronizing.

For copy and content, remember how your target audience speaks, and tailor your writing to make it understandable.

For creative writing, imagine you're chatting to a good friend. Write as if your friend is enraptured and listens to your every word.

11. Be your readers' friend

You have a friend who loves you, but you keep ignoring him or her. You meet your friend to narrate all the adventures you've been through, all the fun you've had.

Your friends may listen enraptured, but wish they would've been alongside for the adventure.

Instead of telling your friends what a spicy life you live, you should invite them in.

But, don't tell readers everything about the world and its characters explicitly. Pepper details everywhere, let readers divine the meaning and personality on their on. Plant bits of information - how characters act and speak, how events unfold, how the world feels.

Pester not your readers with detail dumps. They'll thank you for accepting them as active participants to the story, because our minds are natural exploration machines and delight in discovery.

• Skip over-explaining - let characters, dialogue and mood do the talking

• Practice replacing adjectives and adverbs with vivid nouns and verbs

• Pepper symbolism everywhere

12. Kickstart characters by making them cliches and archetypes

Starting characters as cliches is well if you maintain key principles to shape their own destiny.

Interesting people - and characters - have basic features in common:

• They are smart or become smarter.

• They are determined or learn to be so.

• They may start as pawns in someone else's story but grow to direct their own path.

13. Cool characters exist through relationships and dimensionality

Relationships are the way characters feel and interact with each other and lore elements.

Dimensionality is the time and space characters occupy, and their impressions about past, present, future. Characters may not exist across the story timeline but they have an opinion, a relationship with every facet of time.

Imagine relationships as a web, constellation or branching tree. Draw characters and ideas as stars, and their relationships as connecting branches. Between the stars, note core ideas which define their relationship.

14. Complexity from simplicity

Complex projects and ideas can be overwhelming at first glance, so we must understand what makes them tick.

Complex storytelling results from mixing simple words, character traits, bits of lore.

Efface worry about writing by focusing on component parts: topic, mood, chapters, theme, headlines.

Stories are assembled from simple ideas:

• Three major acts. For needed complexity, split each act into three more until you have a story.

• One core trait for each character. Characters may begin as archetypes.

• Lore - simple ideas, events, locations. Spread them through the story, no scenes crowded with details.

• One central theme for story, one for each character.

• Style - short sentences built on simple words.

15. Brevity

... means getting to the point, not simplifying needlessly.

Brevity has multiple applications:

• Brevity of style - how simplistic or complicated the mode of expression is.

• Brevity of story - one or multiple threads and themes.

• Brevity of plot - moment to moment action, number of events which ravel the story.

Get intimate with brevity:

• Write short-form content often - copywriting, vignettes, short stories.

• Study examples of brevity-obsessed writing: ads, social captions, emails, pulp scripts etc.

• Learn vivid words to say more in a shorter space.

• When in doubt, write a simple sentence.

• Refine to let shine the mood and story.

16. Focus on naturalism

Naturalism is a story's ability to create its own world and consistent rules.

For brevity's sake, we'll define naturalism as in-world realism.

Worlds and characters are enticing and natural by flowing through self-evolution, guided by consistent rules.

• Use language to fit the setting. Hear and feel how characters speak naturally in their world.

• People should speak to each other, not the reader (challenging).

• When in doubt, write simple dialogue. Let it simmer, edit with fitting words.

In truth, realism is an impression in fiction. Whether you write from inspiration or plan everything, a story should diverge from the rules of our world to create its own and evolve.

17. The eternal cliche of persistence and higiene

... is true because we want to integrate writing in the daily life of fleshy creatures.

Your writing flows with your mind and body. To keep writing and imagination flowing, stay in motion with short breaks.

• Write short form - vignettes, plot ideas, copywriting etc.

• Write often, write what you love, write in focused bursts.

• Spend under 35 minutes on the chair. Get up, stretch, daydream, watch the horizon, take deep breaths.

18. Do stories matter?

Yes and no, depending on context.

The purpose of good art is to be inspirational. A picture may speak 1000 words (language conversion rate applies) but a pulpy story may stir emotions and inspire action.

Stories impress us when relevant to a personal goal, or when well told and intriguing - balanced between stimulation, downtime and wisdom.

In copywriting, stories matter to reveal the benefits of what we're writing about - often bent on selling.

If you want a story - fictional, real or content - to matter, make it relevant by knowing your topic and your audience. Fictional stories may skip relevancy if they balance stimulation, downtime and the bit of wisdom we gain at the end.

19. Break rules with glee

Rules, principles and technicalities are useful for beginners. Good writing is about finding the best words, but rules can prove obstacles and limit imagination.

The more rules we maintain, the more we sound like everyone else, or like AI - standardized, formulaic, cliched.

The road to better writing is paved with passion, persistence and letting go. To be an effective wordsmith, write what you love until breaking rules feels natural.

20. Is creative writing worth it?

If you're doing it for the love of writing and storytelling, yes.

If you write to expand your financial opportunities, yes. In the age of AI and info saturation, good writers can find a suitable niche, especially if there's a quirky human behind the words.

If you find a better creative outlet to express yourself, perhaps. Writing remains potent for self-expression, mind-expansion and to enhance imagination. And you'll need it to apply to all the jobs you may or may not love.

21. Be playful - do it for the love of writing

If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Fiction or not, focus on it as if nothing else exists.

Be playful - play with words, meaning, symbolism, lore, weird stories.

A story or a piece of copy flows better if you ignore external influences and focus on the writing, on how the world or the topic feels and evolves naturally.

Hopepunk core ideas

• Hopepunk focuses on positivism, resilience, grit, hope for the future, the possibility for a better world.

• Hopepunk may include less pleasant themes.

• Hopepunk may take place in almost any setting.

• Hopepunk stories may or may not be naive. When they are, naivete is not a weakness, but a desire to inspire the future.

• Hopepunk is a natural reaction to grimdark and so-called realism.

• Hopepunk is often set in an anti-establishment setting.

• Hopepunk utopias may be temporary but worth fighting for.

• Hopepunk story endings are optimistic. Different characters may survive or not, but their legacy and teachings will inspire others.

• Hopepunk endings are always, well, hopeful.

How to write hopepunk

1. You can write Hopepunk in almost any setting. Fantasy, sci-fi, post-apocalypse, magic realism, surrealism, weird fiction, any punk variation.

2. Your characters don't have to achieve all they want, and get out unscathed of any conundrum. In the end, they will be smarter or stronger. Even if they don't reach the story's end, their own adventure may be inspirational to their peers.

3. You can combine hopepunk with realism.

4. One or more characters may be the chosen one archetype, but not the only ones to inspire.

5. Your story will likely be set in an anti-establishment setting. The desired utopia will be temporary. But yours may be different.

6. Your story should first be inspirational to you.

7. Be excited for the future. The ending should be hopeful.

A worthy name

There may be no one single way to define hopepunk, as there is no single way to define steampunk or cyberpunk.

To understand the basics, follow the name. Hopepunk is a literary attitude which rejects more violent tendencies - abuse, suffering - for their own sake.

It stands in clear contrast to grimdark and harsh realism to tell stories about, well, hope. Its quirky name doesn’t do it disservice, no more than calling a genre or style steampunk.

A new hope

Hopepunk and its cousin, romanticpunk, share the romanticism of:

• Fighting bigger abusive forces

• Opposing the man and the machine with relentless determination

• Persisting against authoritarian nihilism.

Hopepunk is not relegated to one single style or genre. You can tell stories of hope inside realism, any fantasy branch, surrealism, sci-fi etc.

Any genre may do this, but hopepunk focuses on how the fight may be won, on the hope and inspiration awaiting at the end and beyond.

There and back again

Stories and fairytales have dealt with universal and personal themes, hopeful or bleak, from the beginning of storytelling.

After Tolkien and the fantasy inspired-sci-fi which followed, literature veered toward realism. From there, it caught a slight reactionary bug called grimdark, often drifting into violence and abuse for their own sake.

Hopepunk itself may be seen as simply reacting to the excesses of grimdark and realism. Hope can be a natural response to the reactionarism affecting the 21st century, in society and the arts.

Hopepunk is a greater driver of dreaming and positive change in fiction. Because the purpose of good art is to inspire, hopepunk adopts this as explicit means, rejecting more reactionary tendencies.

You may regard Hopepunk attitudes as being childish or unrealistic, but the genre cherishes them.

The 20th century may have been evenly spread out between fantasy and so-called realism, between the idealism of fairytales and the bleakness of a world stumbling through progress and existential threat.

For decades, "realism" and reactionary grimdark have increasingly plagued the arts, especially literature. Thus, it is no wonder Hopepunk may impose itself as genre, as natural counter-balance to realism.

We may call it naive, but naivete sustains a core tenet of good art: hopepunk stories are inspirational. Hopepunk is a return to the wonder of ancient fairytales - complete with idealism - and the courage to plan better futures. A hopeful meld of old and new.

• Hopepunk is inspired in rejecting what is sometimes the fetishistic abuse of grimdark.

• Grimdark gains an advantage by trying to be closer to realism.

• Like fairytales, hopepunk is seductive in its desire to be inspirational.

Hopepunk is not realistic

And it does not have to be.

Viewed through an "objective" lens of realism in fiction, most stories are not realistic. The purpose of stories is not so much to be realistic, but ideally to inspire, to plant ideas and inspiration for new possibilities, perhaps a better world.

• Grimdark itself is often not realistic, especially when it fetishizes suffering.

• A story may portray events which have happened in our world.

• Beyond that, so-called realism in fiction is always a matter of personal choice.

Hopepunk is naive

And that is part of its purpose and charm.

In abstract contrast, realism, grimdark and subverting expectations suffer similar quirks - they often reject hope and kindness in favor of abuse and a fetish for suffering, bleakness and cheap nihilism.

• Grimdark tends to be reactionary, Hopepunk may be naive.

• Grimdark reacts to fairytales by trying to dismantle their idealism and positivity.

• Hopepunk is free to reject faulty aspects of the past and tell stories of change, to dream of a better future.

Grimdark is beholden to reject the traditionalism of the past. Hopepunk has space to reject or embrace it, as befit the story.

Hopepunk and class struggle

Hopepunk's lack of specific class politics may be seen as weakness, but the vagueness is by design.

Its openness is not clearly a strength. But it's also no fault, because hopepunk, like all punk attitudes, may be adapted to any class and minority fight.

Cyberpunk, steampunk, other punks, are not dealing with one single class fight. Their common elements are fighting oppressive systems, grit and persisting against adversity and tyranny.

A hopeful future

Where grimdark may have a fetish for abuse, Hopepunk rejects realism in favor of stories and dreams of better worlds, new possibilities and the potential for change. The exact purpose of good art.

• Hopepunk can evolve on its own, gleefully moving away from reacting to "realism" and telling stories standing on practical positivism and hope for the future.

• Compared to steampunk and cyberpunk, hopepunk may lack a clear visual identity. But this false impediment allows it to tell stories regardless of setting. In tone and aesthetics, hopepunk and romanticpunk have almost complete freedom.

• Hopepunk and romanticpunk don't need to be canonized. As contemporary attitudes, they have the strength to march on their own, perhaps in time become established genres.

The tediousness of grimdark and "realism" has endured and will likely endure in perpetuity.

Hopepunk can establish itself as a longstanding attitude and genre among literary greats, regardless of how quirky its label may be.

Hopefully.

image credit Chris Charles.

How to write like Hemingway

1. Start with the simplest sentence possible. Hemingway said to “write the truest sentence you know”. This may sound too abstract. Instead, start with the simplest sentence possible. This paragraph begins exactly so.

2. Make the thesaurus your friend, watch and read media written in a pulp style. Learn new evocative words, so you may say more in a shorter space.

3. Focus on realist mood, words, and sentences. Write with a conversational style devoid of fluff, but peppered with evocative prose. Realism cannot always be applied to every genre. Hemingway achieved realism with a grounded prose built on brevity and matter-of-fact journalistic style.

4. Read style guides for fiction and journalism. Break the rules where necessary.

5. Live an eventful life. Easier said than done. At the least, get into a few fights. Punchy experience breeds punchy writing.

6. Adapt. When writing fantasy or magic realism, find the right words, not the simplest ones.

7. Pepper your realism with symbolism. Start with basic metaphors about how the weather mirrors feelings or events.

8. Read Hemingway and authors like him. But don't drink as much as he did.

Realism built on brevity

Hemingway was the essential precursor to modern and post-modern writing, with its obsession for simplification. He may have built his brevity on his life and journalistic adventures. Whether he mused poetically, or he aimed for the point, brevity is his writing's core feature.

Hemingway's prose itself is one of the best examples of concise, short and sweet writing. Many contemporary authors try to replicate his style, though without understanding Hemingway’s experience, they may only be weaker copies.

Realism, in style and plot, defines Hemingway and made him a classic. But symbolism and metaphor are always nearby, more or less obvious, supplanting what may sometimes be a clinical description of events and emotions. If Hemingway’s writing and dialogue may sometimes be too functional and lack sweetness, symbolism is the honey to make it memorable.

Many stories may seem bland otherwise, such as Hills like white elephants. But when we glimpse the meaning behind the words and landscape, the story transcends the simple premise to become a vignette of emotional strength.

Regardless of brevity, simplicity, and how functional creative prose should be, Hemingway respects a core tenet of writing: use the right word at the right moment.

Realism may need simplicity and a style shaped on journalistic prose. Other genres have their own needs - to immerse yourself and the reader, do not simplify for the sake of simplicity, but to sustain brevity and understanding.

Common is as common writes

Common everyday words will support brevity best when writing realism. This too may be a matter of preference, though every style calls for adaptation.

For other genres - magic realism, surrealism, fantasy - common words may not be enough to convey a true magical mood because of their failure to evoke feeling.

Regardless of famous writers or modern trends, remember that good writing thrives on finding the right word at the right moment. Not the most complicated, not the simplest.

Fear not to tell, use dialogue and thought cues

A snappy amount of advice says Hemingway only did showing not telling. But the truth stands about halfway, because Hemingway wrote a fair amount of telling embedded in the showing.

Showing is better because it helps place the reader in a more active role, as an observer of events. We’re not delivering cold information to readers, we’re letting them draw their own conclusion from dialogue, action, mood, and symbols.

Hemingway does well to not over-explain when showing, to let the reader decide the feeling. Otherwise, he uses standard methods for making an impression: straight-up telling how a character feels, and giving information through dialogue and thinking cues.

Sometimes the telling may be too much. In The Old Man and the Sea, the protagonist will declare a lot of info in monologue form. The method is naturalist, if roughshod.

Maybe more important, it is effective. Hemingway may have intervened with his own voice, but he let the old man do the talking.

No irrational fear of adverbs

Reading advice from various writers, famous or not, may make one think that adverbs are the devils of language. Stephen King has gleefully said a now-famous quote about the devilry of adverbs. Of course, reading his books, he doesn't seem particularly fond of the quote.

Hemingway was perfectly clear about adverbs, and made no fuss: use adverbs when you need to, avoid them when you don't. His relationship with adverbs was healthy, unlike his relationships with some of the women in his life.

Adverbs may be needed as evocative words, to convey feeling or impression without writing longer phrases. Adverbs are not the devil, but sometimes necessary beautiful embellishments. Understand them, cherish them, and they will be faithful companions.

Punchy experience breeds punchy prose

Hemingway was a man of action, traveling, fighting wars, hitting people occasionally, and writing about real life.

Writers may be a lazy kind, often stuck to their creaky chairs hoping they'd write the Great Modern Novel. No surprise that Hemingway tended to write realism, though harsh experience will not always conjure a love for realism - see Tolkien and others.

The essential lesson stands: go outside, breathe fresh air, travel, meet interesting people, see inspiring places, punch someone when they criticize your writing. Then return to your desk and write stories imbued with new inspiration.

The importance of being Ernest

If one could have a conversation with Hemingway, I bed he’d insist on the importance of developing your own style.

Hemingway himself was a considerable break-up from past, more convoluted writing in mainstream literature. His poignant style may be a result of life experience, but also a sign of the times.

Life in human society seems to go ever faster, a fact valid a hundred years ago as today. Hemingway’s writing is part of the natural order of things. An order which sometimes calls for more brevity and fewer embellishments.

Part of Hemingway’s charm is that he wasn’t content with copying the style of other writers. He heralded a new attitude in literature through experience and love of writing.

His style is too simplistic at times. But a considerable amount of work may be needed to distill writing to its most poignant impression, and sweeten it with metaphor.

For being so simple at first glance, the style is great at conveying a real sense of place. We get a documentary-inspired feeling of being there, witnessing the events as if reading them in the newspaper.

Hemingway is at his best when writing realism infused with poetic meanderings and metaphor, such as The Old Man and the Sea. His style is not the only way to accomplish powerful writing, thankfully. But Hemingway has done Hemingway best.