I read a headline on a lampost today that said:
Woman, 100, killed in crash.
That got me thinking…
Change just 2 things, and it’s a completely different story:
100 women, die in crash.
For us writers, this is a significant fact to get to grips with.
A simple shift of word order and a swap of a single letter and the tragedy increases exponentianlly. The conflict heightens like the conquering of Kilimanjaro. Hmmm.
This is something we can use for sure.
We have the noble job of herding words… rounding them all up and pointing them in the right direction. It’s in our power to render them weak and ineffective – or put them in such an order that they rend hearts and sear minds.
Being a shepherd is not for the faint-hearted. You with me?
I love the thought of being “word herders.” Thanks for that little nugget~
amandaswrinkledpages.com
🙂 It’s a dirty job, but somebody’s got to do it!
I’m there. Got my cattle prod primed and ready to go.
I love this!!! Ride em cowboy’s *said in my best false American accent* 🙂
What a conversation starter? What do you do? I am a word herder. I think this is a much better opener than i’m a writer and perhaps less intimidating to the hearer. Much easier i suppose to open up the listener to the idea that we can be masters of what we speak and write. I am going to adopt that as a pseudonym for my husband who has a speech disorder – a can do attitude to replace what has become an psychological hurdle for him. Now that’s optimism!
I like your take Lenny 🙂
Well spoken,I often look for the paradox in sentences. I’m with you !
I’m in good company then. 🙂
Yes you are …