Into the Fire

You can discover a lot about a person from the way they write. Right? Seems to me it would be fairly difficult to write about something I had no interest in or to write in a manor or form I don’t prefer—it would seem like I was back in school.

Do you know I have a recurring dream of being back in school, and, yes, of course, I’m either late for class, can’t find the classroom, there’s a test I know nothing about, I’m in the wrong class, etc. etc. etc.? I’ll bet I’ve that similar dream for at least 25 years. I hate that dream. If you really want to torture me, make me go back to school.

School was not hard for me, but I didn’t like it. Oh, I had some fun times, and I was a good student, but, after that one year at the university, I really didn’t want to go to school anymore. I don’t regret it. It wasn’t for me.

Even though the absence of a degree gives me zero leverage with an agent or a publisher, I still have no regrets. English and literature were my favorite subjects when I was in school, and I gave them most of my attention and efforts. I wanted to read, and I wanted to be able to write well because I was interested in both.

Writing well and communicating well can be two separate entities, although not always. You can use perfect grammar and explicit descriptions and still be misunderstood or not make your point. The ability to truly communicate in your writing is a gift. To be able to draw people into what you’re saying instead of showing them who you are requires you to use the best choice of wording to capture the essence of the subject.

Oftentimes on blogs, for instance, we hear the sharp sarcasm—I’m guilty of it myself—and can miss the point. Other times the sarcasm illustrates the point perfectly. What is most important? The point or the person making it?

How easy it is to be wrongly perceived when being viewed through the words on a screen. Or on a page? Is self-deprecating humor really a ruse, hiding a clever pride, or is it a genuine ability to laugh at oneself? Is being “snarky” the only way someone can point out flaws instead of taking the time to criticize constructively? We’ve all seen or participated in some of the firestorms created on blogs by people expressing their opinions or pretending to . . . How about those who demonstrate impressive vocabularies but are difficult to follow? What about those who have something valuable to say, but the distractions of the misspelled words and poor sentence structures cause mental detours and loss of focus?

Who are you when you write? Are you a messenger? Are you a communicator? Are you a writer? Are you all or none or one or many? Sometimes one, sometimes another? It’s a different realm when you’re writing posts on a screen, but it’s still you in one form or another.

Father, I ask you to help me to write effectively, passionately, to include whatever you desire on any given day. Even in my anger, help me not to sin with the written words. I don’t want to dishonor you in any way. Help me, Lord, to bless you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.