Words and Excuses
Excuses are scary things.
Each excuse is like one step deeper into the Matrix, deeper into a fabricated virtuality that could fall apart at any second.
I've worked with a few students over these many years. Either the students' parents or the students themselves are paying me real, live money. Often, when I recommend some exercise, my students will retort by saying they're good enough at thus and such skill. In other words, they're paying me to tutor a skill they already have. Paradox much?
I have a fine example. For the sake of anonymity, we'll call him Scott. I was helping Scott with writing some essays. I was recommending to Scott that he be more strict with his own writing and that he journal to practice. When I would ask Scott if he had written that week, he would always say no. I would remind him that writing is just like athletics: poor practice yields poor performance.
Scott insisted: "I think I write decently. I just need help composing/content."
Scott does indeed write decently, but most people write "decently." Despite how little we acknowledge it properly, we hold communicating in high regard. Our value of it has grown a bit shaky, but I don't think we'll ever be able to shake off the sense that using words well is somehow important.
I fondly remember a line from V for Vendetta:
We would be hard-pressed to show that words have no power in themselves. If one is being serious, it is difficult to discount the value of words and wielding them well.
I am sure I take it a bit far because I would love to fill the entire world with poetry, but I am always trying to inspire budding writers to pursue the craft and pursue it diligently.
I recently asked Scott about what had happened with his essays. He gave me a general update. I asked him about his writing and if he had been pursuing it diligently. I asked him why he held himself back because he could be such an impactful writer.
Scott replied, "I don't have the desire to excell in writing."
I of course want to inspire you to write more, but my original point was to warn against making excuses.
"I don't have the desire to excell in writing" will take you much farther than "I think I write decently."
Each excuse is like one step deeper into the Matrix, deeper into a fabricated virtuality that could fall apart at any second.
I've worked with a few students over these many years. Either the students' parents or the students themselves are paying me real, live money. Often, when I recommend some exercise, my students will retort by saying they're good enough at thus and such skill. In other words, they're paying me to tutor a skill they already have. Paradox much?
I have a fine example. For the sake of anonymity, we'll call him Scott. I was helping Scott with writing some essays. I was recommending to Scott that he be more strict with his own writing and that he journal to practice. When I would ask Scott if he had written that week, he would always say no. I would remind him that writing is just like athletics: poor practice yields poor performance.
Scott insisted: "I think I write decently. I just need help composing/content."
Scott does indeed write decently, but most people write "decently." Despite how little we acknowledge it properly, we hold communicating in high regard. Our value of it has grown a bit shaky, but I don't think we'll ever be able to shake off the sense that using words well is somehow important.
I fondly remember a line from V for Vendetta:
We would be hard-pressed to show that words have no power in themselves. If one is being serious, it is difficult to discount the value of words and wielding them well.
I am sure I take it a bit far because I would love to fill the entire world with poetry, but I am always trying to inspire budding writers to pursue the craft and pursue it diligently.
I recently asked Scott about what had happened with his essays. He gave me a general update. I asked him about his writing and if he had been pursuing it diligently. I asked him why he held himself back because he could be such an impactful writer.
Scott replied, "I don't have the desire to excell in writing."
I of course want to inspire you to write more, but my original point was to warn against making excuses.
"I don't have the desire to excell in writing" will take you much farther than "I think I write decently."
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