Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Reading James J. Kilpatrick

If you love words, you will not be diverted from your pleasures if you read James J. Kilpatrick's columns on a regular basis.

Once a political commentator -- still an frequent observer of the US Supreme Court -- he shares his love of the English language regularly through his columns. I find his work on Yahoo's Opinion pages.

His column today is especially appealing for writers of fiction and nonfiction. it's an appreciation of a well-written lament over a young girl's suicide. Says Kilpatrick, "This is the secret: If you would move your listeners to tears, do not let them see you cry." He goes on to note, "The piece runs to 750 words. I counted only 14 descriptive adjectives."

Mr. Kilpatrick does every writer a favor by pointing to that good example.



"Getting a Second Wind"
by Rick Reilly

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