Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Satisfy The Music

I was doing some editing for a friend, trying to find the right wording for a particular phrase. The original wording described a collective as building "camaraderie and community", but it wasn't quite right. At one point, I had the idea of replacing the phrase with "close-knit community", but I wasn't sure if it felt the same.

My friend said, "I do like 'close-knit' because it satisfies the music."

I really liked that wording. You might say it struck a cord. I very often describe this concept by talking about melody or rhythm or flow, the first two being music terms, but I never really talk about "the music" of a sentence. It's pretty perfect, though, and said in a flawlessly succinct manner.

I do enjoy the friends I have. They have a way with words I find endearing. And sometimes, they say something that reminds me of exactly why I keep them very close to me.

This post really has two points. The first is that sometimes the best word or phrase to choose is the one that satisfies the music of your sentence more than having the most exact literal denotation. The second is that you really ought to have people in your life who support you, both actively and passively. If you are friends with somebody whose very presence uplifts and inspires you, you will be able to do far more than you ever could if left to your own devices.

2 comments:

  1. I had a feeling that was going to be a keeper. This is a great post, aside from the obvious reasons, I like how it compliments some of your previous posts.

    You're a master of appreciating small moments. That, my friend, is what makes you a great writer.

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  2. What can I say? I really do enjoy a lot of the older works I've written. It's no surprise I often compliment them. This recent one was very good: http://cheffsalad.blogspot.com/2011/07/diverse-vocabulary.html

    I'm also a master of being an unnecessary jerk when people go out of their way to pay me a compliment. (Probably why I spend most of my nights alone writing.)

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