Calvino: On Exactitute
On Exactitude To my mind exactitude means three things above all:
(1) a well-defined and well-calculated plan for the work in question;
(2) an evocation of clear, incisive, memorable images;
(3) a language as precise as possible both in choice of words and in expression of the subtleties of thought and imagination.
Italo Calvino from Six Memos for the Next Millenium