Sometimes
when I read I get lost. Sure, word follows word and punctuation is
present. Hey, getting lost can be good, if I meant getting lost in a
story such that I was entrenched
in the world and lives of the characters. No, I’m talking about when I
read a paragraph or — even worse — a sentence, that by the time I get to
the end of it I can’t remember what I’d just read or what the point of
it was. And this has happened to me during published works, although not
as often as drafts.
What
if words were the only way we could convey our feelings? I’m talking on
a literal level, here. Neither symbolic speech nor non-verbal
communication count. (This would be a different world.)
And
what if those same words that you typed or write could not be taken
back? They would be etched on the stone of eternity for all to see, or
at least all who cared to look.
I know that I would think more carefully how I phrased my ideas, opinions, and thoughts in general.
In
that world, whether or not you feel the inspiration of your writing
flow, or the sludge barely moves from your tips, you would be stuck with
it. Tough luck. Would you survive? If you were a writer, would your
work see the light of day past your inner-circle?
But,
we’re blessed to be able to edit, delete, and revise. Keep your style,
sure, but try to be succinct. Losing your reader is the worst thing you
as a writer can do.
-JK