Beyond Words

I love this video, as much for the visuals as the way that Bruce challenges us to look at the way we speak in this day and age. In this very cool piece of typography,  he explores the lack of authority and conviction today.  “I implore, entreat, challenge you to speak with conviction.”

A good writer must convey her conviction to the reader by using words as if she owns them. If our work appears to be timid and  uncertain then our reader is not going to be drawn in. We won’t get the sales pitch right, or convince the blog reader to stay and explore. We can’t effectively promote ourselves without authority.  Intellectually I know that, but I hadn’t been writing my personal work with that sense of surety. For a memoirist to do her job well, she can’t be apologetic or wishy washy about the material. She, I, have to own the story, to acknowledge the emotions, events, colors and sensations of each moment, to step into my character as I write her on the page and be happy with who she is, who I am. If the writer isn’t able to step into her own heroine, why should you?

“Thanks to “j” over at Zebra Sounds for this one!