Lines

Over the last year and a half I've built a miniature pile of books beside my couch. That pile is not yet big enough to build a fort; but give me a few more months and we'll see. There is something characteristic of just about all of them. Lines. Pick up a random book and flip through it. You'll see phrases and sentences with lines under them. Sometimes I'll use a vertical line and block off a while paragraph. The expecially good points have a little star beside them too. (I also write little notes in the margin beside points I disagree with.) At some future time I can take the book and, by reading the delineated passages, review the best parts in a short time. This practice becomes a bit of a problem when I read a really good book. There are lines all over the place.

I do this for articles, too. I highlight the best points and change the color of the font, usually to red or blue. When I re-read them my eye is immediately drawn to the different color. I've been known to change the font to bold for the same reason. A really great line might be both red and bold. I'm drawn to phrases that bring a particular point home in a powerful way. I love that many of those I read have a knack for doing just that.

The fact is that the particular genre of writing does not seem to matter much to me. I'm just as enamored by a great line from a novel as from an article about economics. I might even be more impressed with the economics line - it is a subject that holds little interest to me.

Good writing is both exciting and challening. Exciting because of the way words are used to convey ideas. Challenging because of a particular aspiration I have to write powerfully, too. The time may come - no - the time will come when this input will affect my writings in a positive way.

Keep Writing!