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entries for 2002/9/29
super atomic boredom rays
When I write, my focus wanders, my words seem mumbled, and my points get lost in folds of fat. Yesterday I cracked open Strunk and White's Elements of Style to give my writing a tune-up.
Their advice? Omit needless words. I tried that with the project management essay, but the writing still lacks spirit. I pad sentences to make them sound more natural. Stripped bare, they seem jagged and awkward.
But maybe I've been fooling myself. I write meekly, while louder voices command attention and rally their crowds to action. Perhaps I shoudn't pad my thoughts, but polish them, and round out the
hard angles with vivid detail.
What point is there in plainness? Even in life, I rarely argue, tell stories, or take a stand. One of my bests friends regularly falls asleep when I talk.
So I've mastered bland. It's time to move on. It wouldn't kill me to raise a ruckus, crack a joke, or scream bloody murder once in a while. It might surprise my friends, but isn't that the point?
Viva la, um, revolution.