Sep 28, 2009
Sometimes people say that 22 words isn’t enough to get my point across. To this, I say,…
Like this post?
…true.
If the goal is complete clarity, even 775,000 words is insufficient.
Fortunately, there are other reasons to write than being understood.
* * *
Related:
- The inexplicability of ideas
- The best writing is not the same as the clearest writing.
- Writing quality is relative to the minds of the intended audience.
* * * * *
I don’t get it.
Keep working at it and you’ll help Andrew accomplish one of those other reasons for writing. :)
Could you please clarify?
Speaking of numbers, I heard that 1 is the loneliest number that you’ll ever do, but 2 can be as bad as 1…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVo_Y2wZ0Tw
Especially if the 775,000 words are English. Which is probably why the Bible was written in richer languages like Hebrew and Greek.
(=22 again; something about this blog brings it out in me…)
22 words in Greek. This I must see.
But I think what’s at issue for Hebrew and Greek versus English is compactness, not greater richness per se.
Sometimes the word limit prevents you from getting anything BUT your point across. Which promotes clarity, in my opinion.
Isn’t it cheating if your post title has 17 words?
nope.
I think what’s frustrating is not that you’re not making a clear point, but that the reader is left wanting to know how you really feel on your topic. Using only 22 words keeps your readers either guessing at what you’re saying, or guessing at who you are. To be honest, I’m amazed at how many people seem to think they know you through this blog.
I read a postmodern “death of the author” feel into this blogpost, but that could just be because I’m studying postmodernism and poststructrualism in one of my classes and thus read postmodernist techniques and theories into everything. If you don’t know Barth’s theory of removing the author from a text, you should look him up and see if you agree with it. It’s an interesting theory although I’m not sure I buy into it.
I think you get your points across pretty darn good. I actually love your blog because you use 22 words. It’s great for ADHD people like me!