One type of writing: boring and precise. Drug facts, legalese. The worst kind of essays. I’m always trying to bat this type of writing away in myself because I like being precise but precision means nothing without fun.
Another type of writing: inscrutable and unintentional. Can still have meaning, but only by happenstance, and nothing is being carefully expressed. Beat poetry and kinds of syllabic sound-based writing are like this. Monkeys at a typewriter. It can thrill, and it can also leave you wishing someone were at the reins.
One more type: shocking and meaningful. Saying something on purpose, but in an unexpected way. The unexpectedness makes it seem like inscrutable writing, but the purpose of the words is clear and comprehensible, so it’s scrutable after all. The words aren’t chosen for shock value and yet they shock anyway. I think this is the most genius kind of writing and Bob Dylan’s answers to the New York Times “Trump turns 80” questionnaire are a great example of it. I’ve read it over and over for joy. It all sinks in on the first go.
Maybe it comes down to being great at metaphor. Bad metaphorists dash them in to make themselves look profound. Muddying the water to make you think there’s something worth seeing down there. Good metaphorists make everything easier to understand.
Also, I love that he declined to give Trump advice. Fuck that.