Is it good to write long sentences with "and" like Hemingway?

Question

When you read Hemingway, for example, the first thing you notice is that he uses the conjunction and a lot, and he is fond of long sentences!

If I didn't know it's Hemingway, I would probably think it's wrong. Because you usually don't see it in the works of literature nowadays, and also, I was told that I'd better avoid long sentences in a paragraph.

I should add, there are also other works of literature that look strange to the reader, like when you read Mark Twain, and see some obsolete forms like I says, but you know that he belongs to the distant past, while Hemingway looks so modern, and just from the forties and the fifties. Even Mark Twain avoids long sentences.

I was wondering whether it would be alright if I try to write long sentences using and from now on when I'm writing?

I put some examples from Hemingway to clarify my point:

“So now do not worry, take what you have, and do your work and you will have a long life and a very merry one.
— FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS”

The hills across the valley of the Ebro' were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between two lines of rails in the sun.
— HILLS LIKE WHITE ELEPHANTS.

The leaves lay sodden in the rain and the wind drove the rain against the big green autobus at the terminal and the Café des Amateurs was crowded and the windows misted over from the heat and the smoke inside.
— A MOVABLE FEAST.

Answer 1

The rules we are taught about writing are to ensure it is clear and precise. They work well for school and business reports, where facts and analysis are being conveyed.

Fiction is a different beast all together, because the purpose is to engage the reader's imagination.

While the sentences you cribbed from Hemingway might be considered long, the clauses are all short -- 'do your work' 'The leaves lay sodden in the rain' They are not just establishing the setting of the stories, but the nature of the viewpoint character.

This style is commonly known as a tough guy. This style of writing is strongly associated with Hemingway, but he isn't the only writer that uses it. It is intended to show what stands out to the character -- communicating what they perceive as important -- in a kind of take or leave it manner.

This style of narration is marked by its stark black and white declarative manner. There is no nuance in 'take what you have, and do your work and you will have a long life.'

It's as specific as an equation A and B give you C

There is no suggestion in 'The leaves lay sodden in the rain and the wind drove the rain against the big green autobus at the terminal and the Café des Amateurs was crowded and the windows misted over from the heat and the smoke inside' Everything is expressed in stark relief, as opposed to a style that uses more subtle language to describe the setting, something that pulls from the readers own experience to populate the scene.

Answer 2

I think it was Picasso who said "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist."

Under normal circumstances, repeated use of and will make your writing stand out. You need to make sure it stands out for the right reasons. It can be done well, but can also jar. One or two sentences that nod to your influences will likely enhance your work, but don't overdo it.

My advice would be to spew it out with all the ands you want in the first draft, and when you read it back it should become clear when sentences need to be split or clauses joined by punctuation instead.