The Luscious Language of Lincoln
Being an Adverb
The writer Anne Lamott has great advice on writing in her book Bird by Bird. The title and basis for a major tenet of the book comes from this memory which she describes in the book, "Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write [it] was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"
The point here is to not get overwhelmed and try to create a mountain of anxiety, but rather, to realize that writing is about a series of a small decisions, and we need to simply accomplish the task piece by piece. Lamott also preaches about avoiding the curse of perfectionism, which is stifling to creativity and production. In other words, just write, and sort it all out later.
My point in mentioning this is that while it's important to find the "right" word, it is also important not to get hung up in trying to find the "perfect" word. Word choice, for me, is about finding the words that work, and then going back and considering some of those choices further based on context, connotation, sentence structure. Sometimes its good just to quiet the inner critic and put down the words that are forming in mind, and other times, it's good to take a moment and think about what word(s) should come next. I think the mental roadblocks take away some of our choices, and are the result of writing from a rules based approach to writing. Writing is a series of words. Start there.
My point in mentioning this is that while it's important to find the "right" word, it is also important not to get hung up in trying to find the "perfect" word. Word choice, for me, is about finding the words that work, and then going back and considering some of those choices further based on context, connotation, sentence structure. Sometimes its good just to quiet the inner critic and put down the words that are forming in mind, and other times, it's good to take a moment and think about what word(s) should come next. I think the mental roadblocks take away some of our choices, and are the result of writing from a rules based approach to writing. Writing is a series of words. Start there.
Anne Lamont made a good point when she said that at times we create a mountain of anxiety on ourselves when it comes to writing.I happen to know first hand that's my biggest problem yet. Building up thoughts and ideas come simple to me, but whats difficult is trying to place them together so that the writing flows smoothly and makes sense.I over think the process of finding the perfect words and try not to repeat certain words throughout the writing. As a writer I have learned to think outside the box for a change, One way will be starting off with introducing new words I would normally not use and expanding my vocabulary. Another approach is finding stronger words that will help make the writing more creative and meaningful.
ReplyDeleteI find Ben Yagoda's opinion to be very appealing to me. When writing I don't think about exactly what words I'm going to use but rather what I'm saying. As I've explained before I write as I speak so if I struggle with my writing is because I don't know exactly what to say. Yagoda sneaks this little message in by calling the language used in Lincoln fake and criticizing the way they speak.
ReplyDeleteFor the arcle on verbs, I think the auther had a good point. i noticed in my writing and in other riting that taking some verds out would make it much easier to read. At times I do find it a little difficult to find the right word thlough.My choice in words changes my mood or how I wanted to say something so it is importent to know when I should use verds -A.Wilkins
ReplyDeleteI seem to find that Yagoda opinion was very interesting t me. When im trying to write I cant seem to get my thoughts across but cant seem to gather all of words and write it down. I write as I speak. Anne makes a good point about us we tend to have anxiety when its time to write. Especially I because I have a hard to time writing things down that can help me with that specific topic I have a tendency to over think things and throws my mind off a mountain.
ReplyDeleteThe article Being an Adverb definitely makes a lot of sense. Its tough to decide when i should or shouldn't use verbs, it makes it much easier to understand something for the reader if the right verb is used but finding the right verb can also be challenging. In my own writing i do like to use verbs because i feel like the reader can get a much more sense of being there and feeling what i am describing in my work. Choosing the right words can make all the difference when getting your point across.
ReplyDeleteAnn LaMotte makes a good point in the article “being an adverb” when it comes to writing. She states that we don’t need to get overwhelmed and create a mountain of anxiety, but rather writing is about a series of small decisions and we can only accomplish that ‘piece by piece’. I have learned from this article that it’s important to complete a writing task piece by piece and not let anxiety set in. At times I have all the good points that can be developed into an idea but how to start becomes difficult. ‘Word choice for me, is finding the words that work’. This also emphasizes Ann’s point when it comes to word choices, it’s essential to know when to use verbs and how to incorporate these verbs in writing and vocabulary to convey meaning.
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