The first essay that really affected me was Mary Pipher’s “Writing to Change the World.” I have always believed that a story has the power to change the world just like the Jungle or Herodotus’ Histories did to the ancient world. I have had a few books change the way I look at the world and one of them was one called The Dead Emcee Scrolls, which is a collection of hip hop poetry. I love to write, poetry mostly. But I have been in a slump for LONG time. I read that book and I felt like a new door had been opened for me. It is beautiful and simple, something that has been elusive in my writing. Another novel that changed my life was actually written by Gary Jennings’s Aztec. It was just so explicit! I never knew how much overt language was capable of being published. But it wasn’t just that it was eloquent. While it did describe certain scenes explicitly, it was still a moving book with a powerful message. I may be exaggerating about the explicit content of the novel but it was just amazing. It was a tragic but optimistic book. Anyone who has read it will understand.
There are few words that can make you feel the simple force of one word. Just like a breath lost in a strong wind, the strength of a word like eyes, dark, light can be lost in the complex way big words are put together. I would have not known how strong a word was ‘til I read Richard Lederer’s Essay, “The Case for Short Words.” It was like the sun rise after a dark night. If you haven’t noticed I have been trying to use monosyllable words together but it is actually proving tricky for me. I don’t understand why! Well, now I do but it is still disconcerting… I am so used to putting words like verisimilitude and apoptosis into my writing, I feel like it has been stunted in its growth. It was like seeing fireworks burst in the night sky, beautifully simple. I really don’t know what else to say. I can blather on and on about how special this essay was to me but it would be better if I tried to show it. So here it goes.
I sat down on the seat and opened a magazine. The door was locked and no one was at home. I read a story about how Brad and Angelina were in another clash on who was in charge and I was shifting to the next page when I heard a knock on the door. It could not be happening. My private moment was being interrupted. “Hurry up, I need to use to the Lou.” The knock would not stop. So I got up and glared at my sister. No one disturbs my privacy.
The next day, I hid in her room, right in her closet. She took a long bath, an hour I believe. She came out, with a towel wrapped on her head, robe on her body. I waited and at the right time, I banged on her door as hard as I could. I peeked out of the closet; Big mistake. She is 5’0 feet and weighs 200 pounds. There was stuff I should not have seen. Never mess with a girl’s private time or you might pay for it in odd ways.
I challenge anyone who does not get bored reading my blog to use monosyllable words to describe a moment in time that is really significant to them.
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