Brevity and Aphorism

In a world increasingly focused on brevity, a nice column from The Chronicle by Peter Wood on the value of being succinct.

His reference to several guidelines to being short but memorable reminds me of a great book that I highly recommend for those who need to write for executives or to have that pithy "it" in short messages.

James Geary has made a career out of dissecting what is quality in an aphorism. His blog is full of insight, but his first book, The World in a Phrase, is a must read. His listing of the great aphorisms and dissections thereof should be on every thinking writer's shelf, right next to the more traditional Roget's.

I notice today writing this post that he has a new book, I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World. Kindling that today.