Words Do Not A Writer Make

We all know words. Some of us simply choose to be more vocal than others. Running your mouth doesn’t mean you have anything worthwhile to say. Saying something poorly is often better than not saying it at all, but saying the same thing well is generally much more satisfying. Oftentimes, it is not so much what we say, but what we don’t.

We must apply the same ideas to the words that we write. When we speak, we have a chance to clarify our views. This is not so on paper. We must rely on proper sentence structure, grammar, and punctuation to provide the clarity we need. We need to phrase our thoughts in such a way that they answer any questions that might arise during the read. We must use words to our advantage.

Take the title of this topic. It has all of the right words, but it just isn’t right. I would probably gain better acceptance with “Words Do Not Make a Writer.” To me, that sounds boring. There are a couple of things that I have to my advantage. This is my article and I can name it anything I want. That’s a pretty big advantage. Even more, I love words and know how to use them. This then becomes my excuse for using this title.

When you have a relationship with what you write, it shows. If you’re simply throwing words on paper because you have to, the results might be good, but there’s no investment in the document. I may be entirely wrong about this, but I don’t think so. When you invest part of yourself in your work, you try harder. When the work is part of you, most people will recognize it.

So, being vocal and knowing words won’t make you a writer. Caring about words and investing yourself in those words is certainly a step in the right direction.