5 Writing Tips from Kurt Vonnegut That Still Hold Up

Most Americans meet Kurt Vonnegut in high school, where his stories often find their way into the curriculum.

Once you’ve devoured something like Harrison Bergeron, I doubt there’s any return from there. There’s no way to unsee the world through Vonnegut’s lens anymore—you are addicted.

Kurt Vonnegut is credited with some of the greatest sci-fi novels of all time: Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat’s Cradle, Jailbird, and The Sirens of the Titan, just to name a few.

With a voice that’s equal parts cynic, sage, and comic jester, his work moves seamlessly between satire and heartbreak, daring us to find meaning in life's chaos.

In this article, we have compiled the writing tips that Kurt Vonnegut swore by, based on the editorial he wrote for International Paper Company on “how to write with style” in the 1980s.

1. Write on a Subject You Care About, but Don’t Ramble On and On

Vonnegut advised us to always “find a subject you care about and which you in your heart feel others should care about.”

You might think that impressive vocabulary or complex prose makes you popular among readers, but according to Vonnegut, genuine care for your subject is what truly connects readers to your writing.

However, Vonnegut warned against letting passion become self-indulgence. Caring deeply about your subject is no excuse to overwhelm readers with every detail of your research.

2. Embrace Simplicity

Simple sentences pack remarkable power. Consider iconic phrases like "Life finds a way" or "Why so serious?"

These brief, memorable lines capture complex emotions and lodge themselves in our minds. This is why Vonnegut championed simplicity.

“As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound,” Vonnegut wrote.

3. Individualism Is Key

Vonnegut emphasized that it is essential to sound like yourself when writing. He believed “the writing style which is most natural for you is bound to echo the speech you heard when a child.”

Therefore, he strongly recommended staying rooted in one’s mother tongue.

Your native dialect, its origin, and its phonetics are your best bet to present your story to its full potential. Emphasizing further, Vonnegut wrote, “If it happens not to be standard English, and if it shows itself when you write standard English, the result is usually delightful, like a very pretty girl with one eye that is green and one that is blue.”

4. Be Ruthless in Your Edits

This is one of the foundations of excellent writing, as the greatest writers have emphasized it repeatedly, including Kurt Vonnegut.

As writers, we think of our work as our “babies”; therefore, editing out anything is a real emotional challenge.

But to “have the guts to cut” — to kill our darlings — is something that can actually make a difference in your writing. Extending his argument, Vonnegut wrote, “Your rule might be this: If a sentence, no matter how excellent, does not illuminate your subject in some new and useful way, scratch it out.”

5. “Pity” Your Readers and Be Clear About What You Mean

Vonnegut wrote in his editorial, “All those antique essays and stories with which I was to compare my own work were not magnificent for their datedness or foreignness, but for saying precisely what their authors meant them to say.”

This insight resonates so strongly that it frequently comes to mind when I'm writing.

Every writer hopes to be understood, but often we complicate things too much when trying to convey our meaning.

Therefore, frame your sentences as accurately as possible, choosing words that bring out your message while keeping it simple.

Vonnegut recommended writers pity their readers, considering their job of “reading” is no less difficult.

“They have to identify thousands of little marks on paper, and make sense of them immediately,” Vonnegut wrote.

If you prioritize artistic flourishes over clarity, you risk losing your readers entirely. Instead, focus on serving your audience by making your writing accessible and engaging.

Vonnegut’s Books That We Highly Recommend

If you’ve never been exposed to the work of this literary maverick, here are a few books that we highly recommend by Kurt Vonnegut.

Slaughterhouse-Five

One of the world’s greatest antiwar books and an American classic, Slaughterhouse-Five is set against the backdrop of the infamous firebombing of Dresden during World War II, and it follows the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned optometrist who eventually gets abducted by aliens.

This book was an instant bestseller upon its release and is a must-read, particularly for fans of dystopian fiction.

Cat’s Cradle

Another one of his major works, Cat’s Cradle, is a satire and blends post-modernism with sci-fi. The book is lauded for its deadpan humor and bitter irony.

The story follows the search for a lethal chemical weapon, “ice-nine,” invented by Dr. Felix Hoenikker, one of the founding fathers of the atomic bomb. The novel ends with Dr. Hoenikker's death wish coming true—his chemical freezing the entire planet.

Mother Night

Adapted into a movie by the same name, released in 1996, Mother Night is about Howard W. Campbell, an American spy working undercover in Germany during World War II. But now, he is on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal.

The story maintains suspense as readers question Campbell's guilt or innocence, building toward a morally ambiguous conclusion that challenges easy judgments.

Are you an avid reader of Vonnegut’s work? Which is your favorite book?