Written words, how wonderful you are

In this era of words everyone has to be a writer.

A writer, really?

Yeah. We all have to learn to write. In fact, you have to be able to write to communicate online. (Well, you can make videos, but you probably would have to write down your thoughts for those, too.)

So, writing is critical.

You can write for your boss, or your own business, or to chat with friends.

To explain your most recent artwork, favorite movie, or a tasty dinner.

Generally, people write the way they talk and that works pretty well, most of the time. But it’s hard to write or type as fast as you talk, certainly as fast as you can think. Writing takes time and who has enough of that?

Enter emoticons, acronyms, and memes with engaging pictures and colors. This is supposed to compensate for adequate written description. But micro-formats don’t leave a lot of room to get your meaning across. And without facial and body language cues half your meaning is often, lost. You know your friend is happy or loves you, but what’s the meaning of those food emoticons? And what’s with the Christmas trees? It’s July!

Who knows where this all this is heading. Some people say telepathy, others cybernetic implants. Either way, words won’t matter anymore. We’ll be able to think our ideas.

Let me tell you why writing is still my hero.

When I was very little a really big dog frightened me. Scared me silly, if the truth be known. I had some trouble explaining the experience to my parents. My heart leapt into my throat and I stuttered incoherently. That’s were the written word came in. I was able to communicate what happened without talking about it.

Written words can take you out of an experience. They can also bring you in.

Words build beautifully on one another producing adventures stories, erotica, and sports columns. They distill our lives into journals and memoirs, and our daydreams into poetry. Words create tempting product descriptions or dreary business reports.

The right words inspire and the wrong ones fall flat.

How many articles have you read that immediately put you to sleep, or rehashed ideas you’ve heard a million times before? Some make you feel terrible pressure to act, RIGHT NOW! Others make you cringe because the writer’s voice sounds exactly like that of a six-year-old child.

Nobody thinks about how important writers are. Most of the time they’re background. But without them ideas are muddled, sometimes lost altogether.

I once read a story about a Hollywood hack writer who was accidently sent to a purgatory where he was forced to compose dreams. Sometimes I think that’s the fate that awaits writers. I kind of hope not though.

It’s taken me a long time to consider myself a wordsmith. I take great pride in helping people express themselves more clearly. It’s like getting a straight jacket off of them so they can breath.

They didn’t know what they were missing until they saw their ideas shine.

I can do that for you, too.