Recently, I read an article entitled "We Don't Write, we Speak with our Fingers." That caught my attention. I've studied how to speak, not only the physical act of articulation but also of speechcraft. I've studied how to act, how to use my whole body and mind to communicate an idea. I've never really studied how to write. Sure, I've practiced writing, I've written plenty of papers and critiqued hundreds more. But I'd never formally studied writing. I considered that a shortcoming on my part. Then I read that article, and I realized that I've not been doing myself justice. Maybe other people have the same problem.
Most people I know are gifted with the "artist's eye," that way of viewing the world that lets them see more than the rest of the population. Maybe everyone has it, and it just depends on how much they use it, but it's a lot more common than I think most people realize. But it's not just for artists. Painters, sculptors, sketchers all benefit. But so do writers. So do journalists. So do the actors, the public speakers, the scientists! Seeing is only half of communicating, though. There's also the describing. It's not enough to look out the window; you have to be able to tell everyone else what you see.
People write like they speak. Most have more verbal styles than written styles, but words are still words. It's all governed by how many ways we can think, after all. Sure, King and Kennedy were powerful orators, and understood timing. Cummings uses spacing and punctuation to the same effect.
I thought about using this post as a chance to speak with my fingers more beautifully than I have before. I considered the opportunity to prove my point through example, rather than just through idea. I decided against this. I wrote, instead, a simple copy of my thoughts, and chose to give it to you as it now exists. I did this because I wanted to communicate to you only an idea.
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