Artful Words
Words simply stated have an unnerving power. So much of our language is engage in flattery, be it of the self or others. Words are used to impress, and dress up our drab and dreary conversation.
I have no contempt for simple people using words simply, but I admire more the person who seizes upon the purest word possible despite knowing many others. To use simple words in a complex manner, to make poetry of mud is a wonderful feat of courage in the face of academia. However, there is the danger to assume that all simple language is worth of exaltation, that simply because one adopts a plain folks attitude that somehow these words are truer, or that they are considered good art.
Anyone may be creative, but not all of these creators are artful. One who thinks that placing a string of simple words together with little attention to raising up the reader, to making a connection, should be considered artful at all may be right, but I would consider this quite wrong-headed. Not that jamming words together is not useful; it should only be the first draft, not the final copy. Some first drafts are quite beautiful, and this entire 30 Days experiment has been very quick first drafts. When I read over them I find some good, some bad, and a few wonderful. All of the Boredom days may be called creative, but how many are artful?
As this is yet another Boredom day writing, I have no ability to edit this and therefore am at a loss for a theme, and hence a proper conclusion. I suppose I have been taking shots at certain writers, and especially poets who I perceive to be delusional about the artistry of their simple words. I love simple words and short sentences, but I also love complex structures and “big” words. Being a lover of all these words I have sometimes been accused of being a showoff, and while this may be true at times, I would say rather that I use the first word that comes to mind, or sometimes the most precise word. However, the point of language is to convey, whether it be emotions, events, or ideas. So one must find the words for the situation, and “big” words have their place, but I caution you to consider if there is a simpler, and still artful, way to convey the same message.
