Keep Your Comments to Yourself

Have you ever been at a really bad movie and spent the whole time making jokes about every line of dialogue? Have you ever been at a really terrible speech and start arguing with the speaker because he was wrong? Have you ever gotten kicked out of a wedding because you laughed out loud at the priest for not realizing how suggestive his sermon was?

That last one didn't happen to it, but I was as close as possible. If I wasn't sitting next to strangers on both sides of me, I would have ruined my friend's wedding. But the more important point is what this illustrates. Some people just can't help making comments. They're usually the writer types and they usually just can't help themselves.

I really mean it when I say they can't help themselves. Their minds literally don't stop thinking. No matter what is going on, they are coming up with side comments, some of which are hilarious. The problem, though, is that this can be a serious problem (and not just in church).

The people who always make side comments when other people speak usually make side comments when they themselves are speaking. They also do it when they're writing. Sometimes they just set themselves up for a joke so good that they can't help but make fun of themselves. Sometimes they make a claim that they know people will argue, so they try to shoot down potential counterarguments. When you do this, you diminish your own work. You add unnecessary weight to your sentences, bogging them down and taking away their power.

If you want to make your writing as strong as it can be, then keep your comments to yourself. Say your main point and leave it there. Accept that if you are being serious, then some comedian is going to make the same comment that you would. If you think somebody will argue against one of your points, then win your internal argument and write that one instead. If you absolutely have to share something, put it in a footnote or somewhere else out of the way.

If you want to be the best writer you can, then learn to say less than you want to.