Constrained writing is when an author decides to limit the words, grammar, or style they use. The most common form of constrained writing is certain forms of poetry, when the meter and the rhymes follow a set pattern. But some writers take it much further, for example, writing an entire book without the letter "e" appearing at all, or telling a story without verbs. You have to wonder how much that interferes with the reader's enjoyment, or even comprehension of the subject matter. Some of these books would be considered stunts to impress a small audience, and they did not become bestsellers.
However, the most famous example of constrained writing was when publisher Bennett Cerf challenged Dr. Seuss to write a complete story using 50 different words or less. Seuss responded with Green Eggs and Ham, which won that bet and became a classic. That kind of constrained writing is called "mandated vocabulary." Read about other types of constrained writing, such as lipogram, rhopalism, tautogram, palindrome, and more at Mental Floss.
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My grandson loves Green Eggs and Ham. Reading to him, he responded to every question in the text with a loud "No!" which is a two-year-old's favorite word. However, "no" is never used in the book at all.
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