Many people forage for knowledge about writing. They skim through books at Barnes and Noble, read blogs and magazines, and watch vlogs by editors, authors, and agents. Occasionally, the foraging reaps priceless, insightful quotes from famous authors. Faulkner’s “Kill your darlings,” which I discuss in another article, helps me after I complete a first draft. However, when I face a blank page at the start a new work, I think of wise words from another popular author. And his words are steeped in truth.
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.”
ernest hemingway
Hemingway’s one true sentence quote comes from his memoir, A Moveable Feast (p. 12). Editor Larry W. Phillips cites this in Earnest Hemingway on Writing (35 [Kindle version]). The quote is part of Hemingway’s explanation of how he’d jumpstart a puttering new work. In the explanation, the famous author admits he’d toss an elaborate beginning in favor of the true, simple sentence he’d written.
Truth as a Handy Writing Tool
Every week, my creative writing professor expected us to read a novel or compilation of short stories and write several short stories. (For his novel-writing class, we’d submit chapters.) This writing-on-demand challenged me, especially when I took two of his classes in one semester, and the reading workload didn’t help. Needless to say, I didn’t always pass in stellar literary works. However, thanks to Hemingway, I was able to complete the assignments.
Example:
My professor once included “a scar” on the list of prompts he assigned to the class. The same week, my search engine’s background picture of the day caught my attention. In it, a man surfed down a monster of a wave in Nazaré, Portugal. The wave in the picture below dwarfs the one I saw in the image, but it still works as a good, as well as beautiful, substitute.
True sentence about this picture:
The surfboard cuts through the wave, leaving a white line in it’s wake.
This observation was the starting point for my short story about “a scar.” The white line reminded me of the scar running down my abdomen. As well, the entire image–the monster wave, the surfer–inspired a metaphor and a simile: the board, to me, seemed like a scalpel; the line it left in the wall of water, a scar.
How one true sentence can help
Even if your “one true sentence” ends up on the chopping block, its worth can be invaluable. The frill-free, declarative statement can help in a number of ways:
- jumpstart the work, be it a short story, chapter, or article
- set tone
- inspire themes, metaphors, similes, and symbolism
Your sentence, your truth
As individuals, we literally and figuratively see things differently. Your true sentence will form from an amalgamation of observations and experiences that are uniquely yours. As with free association, an underlying psychological reason may influence your true sentence.
For example, my assignment required me to write a story about a scar. As luck (or lack thereof) would have it, I have a scar; in fact, I have several. This is probably why I associated the surfboard with a scalpel and the white line it made in the wall of water with a scar.
I could have just as easily written, “The thought of riding that wave scares the hell out of me.” Yet, a surfer might come up with a different true sentence about the image: “The surfer’s position was perfect as he raced down the wall of water,” or “I’d give anything to surf that wave.”‘
How a story can grow from one true sentence
1.) Write one true sentence. Remember: we’re not necessarily going for profound; we’re going for basic truth. However, if you can think of a profound statement off the top of your head, props to you!
2.) Elaborate. Write a second sentence, elaborating on the first—bonus points if you include a literary device, such as a simile or a metaphor.
3.) Link the above two statements to the idea of the story you plan to write. Do this by writing a third sentence. Try using simile to connect elements of your first two sentences to the third, which should reflect the concept of your story (or writing prompt).
Example:
1.) True statement: The surfboard cuts through the wave, leaving a white line in it’s wake.
2.) Elaborate: The wave is a monster, and the surfer cuts through it like a surgeon, his board the scalpel.
3.) Link: The surfer cuts through a monster wave with surgical precision, leaving a long, thin line on it that looks like the scar running down my abdomen.
Notice how my true, basic statement grows into a story concept. Sentence three connects one and two and in my case, happens to also be a true statement. My short story could turn into a personal essay. Sticking to fiction, I’d make the rest of what I write less personal. Or, I could replace “My surgeon cut through me” with “Angela’s surgeon cut through her.” I could take that even further: “The surfer sought a monster wave, but Angela’s surgeon was seeking a monster called Cancer.”
As you elaborate on your true sentence, you’ll come up with ideas that are fingerprints of your own creativity. Maybe your sentence(s) will inspire a foreshadowing event. Maybe you’ll delete the true statement and veer off in a totally different direction. Or maybe you will incorporate it, or its general idea, somewhere else in the story. The possibilities are limitless.
Tip: Try this “one true sentence” method if you get writer’s block in the middle of a story or when starting a new novel chapter.
Still Stuck?
What if you’re so stuck, you can’t think of your own true sentence? Think about another quote by Hemingway, from the same excerpt as the first quote I pulled for this article:
“[T]here was always one true sentence that I knew or had seen or had heard someone else say.”
A Moveable Feast, p. 12; Ernest Hemingway on Writing (36)
Tip: If you still can’t think of a true sentence, look out the window. Write a true statement about what you see or what you’ve heard is true about any element of the setting. No window? Look in the mirror and write what you see. Go to Britannica.com if you’d rather write a true statement about a specific subject. (Be sure to cite your source if you end up using a direct quote in your final piece.)
In conclusion . . .
When a blank page locks up your creativity, let Truth set it free. Christen the page with a true sentence. Apply Hemingway’s approach to nonfiction or fiction–articles, writing prompts, short stories, chapter beginnings, and more. You may eventually weed that true statement out your piece, but at least you’ll have a piece to weed it out of.