Learning from Great Writers: George Oppen x clarity

Improve your writing in this 5-minute workshop.

Welcome to my writing workshop, where I borrow techniques from great writers to help improve your writing (and mine too).

Today, we’re looking at writing with clarity. Our example is the 20th century North American poet, George Oppen (1908–1984).

Today’s Menu

1. The main idea
2. The example
3. Apply it!
4. Who was George Oppen?

1. The main idea

Oppen searched for simplicity and clarity in his writing. He stripped language to its bones. Why? Because he wanted people to access the world he described immediately. He didn’t want readers to be distracted by the excess of language, by special rhymes or well-known poetic structures.

How did he achieve clarity? He approached the subjects he described in his poems as “objects.” Hence, he is part of group of poets known as “Objectivists”. The idea is to step back from whatever you’re looking at and try to capture its essence in an honest and simple description.

Be careful though. That doesn’t mean reducing everything to just 3 or 4 words. Oppen’s poetry is rich with…