LawProse Lesson #317: Writing in solitude.

LawProse Lesson #317: Writing in solitude.

Writing in solitude—with concentration.

There’s a crisis of inattention in the modern world. We’re all surrounded by electronic devices that sound off continually, requiring—or seeming to require—our immediate attention. We end up concentrating for five or ten seconds before mentally resting a bit until the next surge of attention is required (or seemingly required). Scientists say that we’re all “cognitively busy.” But really we’re cognitively scattered. People have made scatter-brained. The modern attention span is doubtless shorter than ever. Ernest Hemingway once said in an interview, “You can write anytime people will leave you alone and not interrupt you.” It’s true. If you’re a writer, you must arrange time when people will leave you alone and not interrupt you. The biggest key to writing is to apply your seat to the chair, when nobody else is around, and to write. Having nobody else around includes silencing your smartphone and turning off popup notifications. A real writer needs time to contemplate and compose in silence. Further reading: Garner on Language and Writing 4–14 (2009). Legal Writing in Plain English 7–16 (2d ed. 2013). Making Your Case: The Art of Persuading Judges 80–81 (2018). The Winning Brief 60–62 (3d ed. 2014).

Live seminars this year with Professor Bryan A. Garner: Advanced Legal Writing & Editing

Attend the most popular CLE seminar of all time. More than 215,000 people—including lawyers, judges, law clerks, and paralegals—have benefited since the early 1990s. You'll learn the keys to professional writing and acquire no-nonsense techniques to make your letters, memos, and briefs more powerful.

You'll also learn what doesn't work and why—know-how gathered through Professor Garner's unique experience in training lawyers at the country's top law firms, state and federal courts, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies.

Professor Garner gives you the keys to make the most of your writing aptitude—in letters, memos, briefs, and more. The seminar covers five essential skills for persuasive writing:

  • framing issues that arrest the readers' attention;
  • cutting wordiness that wastes readers' time;
  • using transitions deftly to make your argument flow;
  • quoting authority more effectively; and
  • tackling your writing projects more efficiently.

He teaches dozens of techniques that make a big difference. Most important, he shows you what doesn't work—and why—and how to cultivate skillfulness.

Register to reserve your spot today.

Have you wanted to bring Professor Garner to teach your group? Contact us at info@lawprose.org for more information about in-house seminars.

Scroll to Top