Writing is a lot like…

I often use analogies when explaining or attempting to understand something. I like to think I have a knack for it. A good analogy can really help someone better understand something or see it from a new perspective. Recently I’ve been trying to think of one for writing, but I’m stumped.

In a way, writing is like archery. A writer picks words like an archer draws arrows, and with them hopes to hit the target as accurately as possible. The target in the writer’s case is not a distant circle but the perfect expression of an idea or emotion.

I like the bit about accuracy, but the analogy isn’t so convincing when you look any deeper. For starters, arrows are chosen without discrimination, whereas words are selected very discriminately. One arrow is the same as the next, more or less, but that isn’t true of words. So writing is sort of like archery. But there must be another analogy, both witty and ingenious, that fully encapsulates what it is to write, right?

Maybe writing is like fighting a war. I don’t mean as a soldier marching around and shooting at things, but rather some sort of General or high commander. You know, one of the guys who comes up with strategies and clever names, like “Operation Rolling Thunder” or “Operation Magic Carpet” (a real operation, by the way).

Yes, just as a military planner tactfully deploys resources to accomplish an objective, a writer deploys his or her resources (words) to accomplish an objective (write a blog post?). Both require structure. Troops are organized and certain units are selected based on with what the mission requires, sort of like how sentences are organized and words selected depending on the purpose of the written piece.

Alright, so maybe this analogy is neither witty or ingenious (it’s terrible). So what is writing like? Maybe it isn’t like anything. Maybe it’s just… writing.

Thoughts?

Collecting words: the Sontag list

It goes without saying that great writers have a strong command of language. A big part of this can be attributed to having an extensive vocabulary from which to draw from.

The Oxford English Dictionary contains 171,476 words. Imagine if you knew every single word and exactly what they meant. Once you decided on what to write about the words would flow effortlessly from your pen (or, more likely, your keyboard).

But alas, we are not robots (despite my best efforts to pretend otherwise on the dance floor – yes, I’m single).

As it is, our vocabularies reflect the words we’ve been exposed to, as well as our brain’s ability to soak up these words and file them away for future use. A lot of it is memory.

I read the other day that Susan Sontag–the multi-talented American writer, filmmaker, professor, literary icon and political activist–kept lists of words that she encountered. Words like “persiflage”, “gruel”, and ” integument”. I don’t know what her motive was, but it’s a brilliant idea.

When reading I often come across words that are peculiar to me or that I’m unable to define accurately. There are other words I’ll come across that are familiar but not part of my vocabulary. The Sontag list is a perfect remedy for these situations. By recording words that are unknown or underemployed I’ll be more likely to look them up and learn their meaning, and by writing them down I’ll be more likely to remember them and utilize them in the future.

And who doesn’t like lists?

Writer’s today are at an advantage, historically speaking. It has never been easier to find the meaning of a word (dictionary.com and its companion thesaurus.com serve me well). It’s sad but I can’t imagine consulting a physical dictionary to discover the meaning of a word. If the dictionary isn’t within arms reach I have to get up, and then I have to use my legs to walk to it, and then I need to put it down somewhere, perhaps needing to clear off table space to make room. That’s not to mention the page turning! My god, the page turning!

Maybe I’m being a little bit dramatic (a little?), but the point remains that it is easier than ever to expand your vocabulary.

Collecting stamps hasn’t been cool for years, if it ever was, and you’re going nowhere in life if you collect rocks. Start collecting words. Start a Sontag list.

For those who are wondering, courtesy of dictionary.com:

Persiflage: light, bantering talk or writing

Integument: a natural covering, as a skin, shell, or rind