“So” is a word commonly used to mean “very” or “really.” For example, “he was so late.” The word is a vague intensifier and should either be cut from the sentence or accompanied by an explanation.
Start Over Again
It’s said that you don’t forget how to ride a bike. It’s a somewhat true statement. If you have ridden a bike in the past and decide to start riding again, you have a slight advantage over the person who has never ridden one. Then again, maybe you don’t have an advantage. You rode in the past, but your final ride was horrific. You had to stop riding, not because you chose to, but because you were physically incapable of riding due to an injury. For you, the challenge is not in the pedaling but in the images and memories that fill your mind.
Looking Changes a Thing
…a fragile music tuned by borrowed contents,
each narrow flute enriched by what it holds
the song provisional, the precise note
inspiring thirst, but altered by a sip.
April Lindner’s “Crystal”
Write Right: Use Verbs to Paint a Picture
Verbs don’t only propel the plot forward. They also convey mood. They can paint a picture of what a character is like or of what a relationship is like. They can show the quality of an emotion without having to rely on a direct object, adjective, or adverb.
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Let the Ending Come
To ‘sit with’ you have to look into the gap in your understanding, not drive the conversation, not know where it’s going. Not know beforehand at all where it’s heading. – Lia Purpura, “On Looking Away: A Panoramic”
Do Work You’re Proud Of
If I did work I was proud of, and I didn’t get the money, at least I’d have the work. – Neil Gaiman, “Make Good Art”