I am still in a pensive mood as I start writing this post for today. Here are more thoughts on writing that I think we should consider when we have time.
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
I suppose most people know him for The Scarlett Letter but writers should know him for this quote! It is true that is quite easy to write – just type your thoughts onto your computer. That is no guarantee that your readers will find your written work easy to read, though. When writing blog posts, we should always bear our readers in mind. They should not have a hard time getting what we want to point out. Hawthorne was right, that is damn hard writing at times!
Here’s another quote and it couldn’t have been phrased better:
The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain
How many times have I paused while writing, just so I could get the perfect word or phrase? The best writers probably experience the same thing – I am sure if Mark Twain were alive he could attest to that. I guess thinking about this quote works both ways for me.
One, I should not despair when I hit a brick wall because I cannot find the right words. Two, I should take my time in finding the right phrasing for my writing and not settle for the “almost right word.â€
What do you guys think?
Originally posted on October 9, 2007 @ 3:38 am
