The Lightning and the Lightning Bug
I was asked recently which was my favorite quote about
writing. Many leapt to mind, and I didn’t think I’d ever be able to choose one
favorite. Spoiler alert, the title of this post is a dead giveaway.
The image above gives a paraphrasing, so here’s the quote as
I’m used to hearing it:
“The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
Mark Twain.
It really gets to the difference between being a writer and just plain writing. When writing, you tell someone what happened. But when you are a writer, that ain’t nearly enough. The reader should feel a sense of immersion in the words, should leave knowing what they taste like. That metallic tingle on the tip of your tongue just before the author’s fury rains down upon you and sweeps you away.
If Alan dies, it
isn’t enough to say that Alan died, or even that Nathan plunged his lance
through Alan’s chest. A writer must make you feel Nathan’s anguish in
fulfilling the prophecy by sacrificing his brother and thereby saving the
kingdom. You should know that he wants to look away, but he owes it to Alan to
imprint that dying look of betrayal and yes, love, upon his memory forever.
I’m going to throw
in two other quotes to help illustrate and support my choice. First, ponder
this one for a moment:
“A good book makes you want to live in the story. A great book gives you no choice.”
Unknown.
The difference between a good book and a great one, the stories themselves being equal, is that lightning. Two storytellers can perform Cinderella, but one just reminds you that you’ve heard it a thousand times before, while the other draws you in and makes you see something new.
Being a writer is
about that search for just the right word. A sentence might go through a dozen
revisions before it
Conveys the
meaningMakes you feel
what the writer intended, andFits the meter
and tone of the surrounding sentences
Which is why I defer to Thomas Mann for this last quote. Because if you just want to convey a message, it’s easy just to write it down. But if you want to move someone to tears, or sway them to your point of view, you’re going to have to spend some time and find the lightning..
“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.”
Thomas Mann.
Be sure to check out this list of more great quotes on Writing: https://thewritepractice.com/become-a-better-writer-quotes
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