Chris Writing Anything

When I was younger, I wanted to write. After reading a few children’s novels, many which I had read more than once, I began to understand the basics of literature, and I believed I could write a book.

Looking back, there was a lot my young mind refused to learn: Grammar for instance. I believed that the greatest writers broke the rules often. What I hadn’t grasped, and, yes, now I do, is that one must understand grammar to effectively dismiss a rule. In other words, as I’ve learned, if you’re going to break a writing rule, and if you want to be taken seriously, you had better demonstrate that you do understand grammatical rules.

So, in my mid forties, I made a laborious effort to learn the basics. Granted, once in a while…wait, is it awhile or a while?…yeah, once in a while, via the internet, I’ll double check my grammar.

Once you’ve learned the basics, they generally flow from within. Using that old simile, it’s like riding a bike. The more accustomed one is, the more likely one is to perform tricks. Yet, sometimes, if you get too cute…sheer embarrassment.

So that being said, and recalling one of my dad’s greatest teachings, which, quite frankly, had not a bit of dialogue attached to it, I’ve learned to work with what I have.

My dad taught me this during a tennis match. I had been practicing, and I thought I had learned some pretty tricky shots. I tried lobs, corner shots, and dribblers. My dad, on the other hand, simply returned the volley…nothing fancy, he just hit the ball right towards me.

I lost. That old acronym was forged in my brain: Keep It Simple Stupid.

At times, I don’t want to listen to those lessons. Yet, as I try to impress with style, I’m suddenly reminded that no trophy was handed to the most stylish…well, if I omit cosmetic competitions, then there’s no reward for being cooler than your opponent.

I may not be the best writer, I may not retain every vocabulary word and I may miss a few typos now and again, but I always work with what I know, and I strive to continually be effective. When writing, no matter your skill level, I believe that’s the most important element.

Have an Excellent Day!!