Sunday, November 05, 2006
What’s Going On And The Dreaded Run-On Sentence
It’s been some time since I last posted. I’ve been busy with various things, including doing some writing of course. As stated a couple of posts down, I finished a fourth draft of The Breaks and decided to sit on it for awhile after giving to some readers for feedback. Well, that didn’t last long. I did give it to a couple of readers, and in the mean time I did some line editing on my own. I’m now on what could be easily considered a sixth draft.
Also, I got some very helpful feedback concerning Little Whiskey from someone. That is proving very useful.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about run-on sentences. I have an admittedly nasty habit of spewing out run-on sentences—especially in first or second drafts. I know people who absolutely hate run-on sentences, and I have no problem with them pointing them out to me. That said, I must admit that some of my favorite writers are heavy users of run-on sentences and, like most writers, I’m heavily influenced by writers I admire. The previous sentence is a perfect example of a run-on sentence by the way.
Personally, I don’t have a problem with well done run-on sentences; even heavy use of them. Take Ernest Hemingway for example. That guy could put down a run-sentence with the best of them. The thing that was interesting about Hemingway was that he’d put down a run-on sentence that was bordering on excessive, and then follow it up with a series of short, almost staccato-like, sentences.
Cormac McCarthy, one of the most stunning writers of our time, goes absolutely insane with run-ons. Of course, he’s Cormac McCarthy and can do any damn thing he wants. Read All The Pretty Horses, or No Country For Old Men, and you’ll see what I mean.
Another writer who comes to mind in this regard is Jim Harrison. One of his books—I believe it’s Wolf—starts out with a sentence that goes on for almost two pages.
I suppose the key concerning run-ons is doing it well. I’m not a good enough writer to do them well, but I still find myself drawn to them in certain situations. I think that some stories simply lend themselves to a particular style that includes the use of run-on sentences.
Or something like that.
