Writing makes an exact man exact in thought and speech.

Writing makes an exact man exact in thought and speech.

--Francis Bacon--

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Sir Franny is correct, or...is he. Whatta you think?...Right, think about it,

 

 

before

 

you

 

scroll

 

down

 

here

because my opinion matters more than yours only in the fact that, at this moment, it is my hand on the controls, not yours!

I think Sir Franny is correct on one level: in order to write well enough to satisfy an exacting task-master, the work must be more than just orthographically and grammatically correct. Good writing should also have a smoothness of flow that takes into account not only logic but ear.

That is, my above paragraph is grammatical and logical, but it sure doesn't flow--oops, it just got better--I broke one long sentence into two! There, the deed testifies to Bacon's words.

So, I agree: exact writing demands exact vocab, linear flow of thoughts, and adherence to the rules of the language. That's all correct, as far as it goes. But I think one also needs to pay attention to more than rules, but to the art of writing. Namely, is there a word that the author understands and that fills the bill perfectly, but that word is sufficiently out of the ordinary that the average reader will be given pause? Are the sentences all the same length? If they're all short, it'll feel choppy. All long? There's risk for frustrating the reader--the task of the writer is to distill, to clarify, to bring the reader along, not to impress you with euphonious exhalations of polysyllabic pomposity, or to mightily divert you with my amusing twists of thought that ultimately serve to obfuscate.

So, I also disagree with Bacon: there's much more to good writing than mere exactitude. A little sloppiness in the first draft, in particular--great idea. Keeps me moving fast and not worrying so much about perfection that I over-criticize myself and choke off the flow of ideas.

And, the exact writer may be driven to perfectionistic paralysis--will it ever be just right? Will every reader follow my every word and my every thought?

Pish. Chuck Swindoll said something about going over every line, word by word, to ensure that everything said precisely what he intended. But, NO paralysis for him--Wikipedia's Swindoll entry lists 57 books under the heading, "selected publications," suggesting that there are more out there. Oh, and 12 ECPA Christian Book awards.

Okay, he's one of my heroes. So, after inspiring myself, if no one else...off I got to write.

Your comments welcomed below.

Reading, etymology, and Latin. (Latin? Gotta be kidding!)

I love to read. Whether for entertainment or for learning, it's a good thing. Generally, that is.

I just laid aside a book about etymology. I plowed thru 60 pages or so, but with no real narrative line...I'll be honest, I've had more fun reading the dictionary or the encyclopedia. (Oops, those are fun...bad comparison.) I've had more fun weeding the yard.

This despite the fact that the author was very careful to clarify that entomology was for bugs that bug people, not about words that bug people!) Still, I COULD put the book down. In fact, it joins the roughly one or two books per year that I can put down...and never pick back up again!

I'd rather learn Latin than listen to someone babble on about a word's roots, "The word 'gnaw' is one of many that begin with 'gn-' and may be linked by..."

When I hear, "...it may be", the educator in me immediately responds, "Thus, it also may NOT be." Phooey.

Actually, I have subscribed to the email "Latin Word of the Day," and am enjoying broadening my vocab/etymology...here's the page where one could subscribe. Subscription is, BTW, an overt confession of abject geekhood.
http://www.transparent.com/word-of-the-day/today/latin.html#.UfRjBD3n9PA

Also, English word of the day: http://wordsmith.org/words/today.html

Okay, that was a lengthy digression. Basically, I enjoy non-fiction, but it needs to be written with a better narrative line than my high-school history textbook (spontaneous yawn at the memory!) The autobiography that I just read, Louis Zamperini's DEVIL AT MY HEELS, flowed like a well-written novel, with suspense, theme, rise and fall of tension within each chapter....yeah! I think non-fiction has come a long way since I was in high school. Whatta you think? Any fav non-fiction works you'd like to share with the legions reading this? Comment below or back on FB, pls.

Carrying the Torch.

Most everybody has heard that little saying by William Purkey,

“You've gotta dance like there's nobody watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like there's nobody listening,
And live like it's heaven on earth.”

 

 

But do we live that out? Or, is it even possible to live like that? Guess we'll never know unless we try, eh?

 

While we all need regular doses of encouragement and re-encouragement and re-re-.... I think it helps us when we try to visualize our personal heroes and imitate them. For me, people like my mom and dad, Pastor Bob Frederich, Morine Cheney, Pastor Kori Hagen, Pastor Arlo Janssen, Pastor John Lindsay, and my daughter Carrie are inspirations. When I conjure up their faces, I want to bear the banner, carry the torch that these people have or are still carrying, and point my body/mind/heart/soul/strength at bringing glory to the most high God...and, if may I ask...may I have the next dance?

 

King David's wife, Michal, scorned him for dancing like nobody was watching. He didn't care and he didn't stop and neither will I! Join in the dance, the song, the loving and the living, for heaven's sake!

 

 

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Look to the Lord and His strength, seek His face at all times.

Psalm 105:4.

 

Folly delights a man who lacks judgment, but a man of understanding keeps a straight course.

Prov. 15: 21.





“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”

“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”

--Ken Robinson.

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How's your curiosity? I'll be you've got more than you reckon. Let me ask a few questions and you keep track:

1. How often do you look at your watch/phone/computer/other device to check the time? More than once an hour?

2. Do you watch the TV news regularly? Weather?

3. Do you enjoy Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune on TV?

4. Do you read a newspaper regularly?

5. Do you read anything regularly?

If you answered yes to any three of these questions, I'm here to say--I think you have a good sense of curiosity.

Now for the real question: are you curious about things that matter? Truly matter, to you and your family and your friends? Things that aren't fads, celebs, media-driven, or trivia, but instead are do you want to know more about big issues, about trends that may last for years or decades? About issues that effect your quality of life now and for the rest of your life? About the hereafter?

I think of those scientific minds of yesteryear: Ben Franklin, Kekule, Copernicus, Isaac Newton...never satisfied with the status quo. Closer to our times: Watson and Crick, Robert Goddard, Steve Jobs and his ilk...nobody could convince them, "Everything worthwhile is known/invented"!

Is your curiosity well-invested? Poking yer nose into stuff best left unpoked?

Just some suggestions...I know that I'm often curious about mere or mostly trivia, so these questions are as much for me as for ye!

I think curiosity is indeed the engine of achievement and of creativity. And, like any engine, it can be well-cared for, retuned, rebuilt...and with certain tools and add-ons, a whole lot more horsepower can be elicited.

What revs up your curiosity? Vroom-vroom!

Creativity--in education, and in you and me.

I feel like a late bloomer in the garden of creativity. How much of my creative spark was quenched by, "Let's draw a flower--here's how to do it...No, no, Jamie, flowers aren't those colors...or, ahem, shapes. See how Billy did it--they look just like the one that I drew."

In public school, I wrote many more book reports than I did stories...granted, reading is a deep foundation for learning and for writing, but there was a huge over-emphasis on reporting and underemphasis on creating.

My niece, Shaelin, just told me about this guy:

Ken Robinson, If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.

• Watch this talk »

Watch it. It's 19 minutes long, funny, and convicting!

[It's a choppy post today...but, that's the story, morning glory!]