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March 19, 2009
Dave Barry's Colonoscopy: An Inspiration to Writers
My husband recently turned 50 and altered his life goals. Top on his list: To earn Dave Barry's Colonoscopy Certificate.
Along with round-the-middle weight gain and rapid vision loss which requires one to stock up on over-the-counter eye glasses purchased in bulk at Costco, turning 50 brings with it the gift of intrusion in the form of a colonoscopy.
When my husband decided to succumb to the procedure, friends sent him the link to Dave Barry's column called A Journey into my Colon -- And Yours . Dave writes in full detail about the purging process and the exploration afterwards, so I need not delve into those previously charted waters. But I must warn you: Read Barry's essay in private to avoid being viewed as a hopeless geek who laughs at his own computer screen.
When my husband forwarded the colonoscopy link to me, even though I am far younger and am hoping a simpler procedure will come along by the time I hit the big one, I was awakened. Not only as far as colon cancer awareness goes, although that's his top take-away message, but about how brilliant a writer Dave Barry is. (And I'm not just saying that with the hope that the writing genius will visit my blog and offer a comment, however excitedly welcomed such an act would be!)
I wrote a book several years ago called Write Well & Sell: Changing Life's Simple Stories into Sales , an instructional manual that is essentially what my husband calls "Writing Essays for Dummies," and he means that in a good way. Nevertheless, many of the writing tips and techniques I offer in the book are perfectly exemplified in Dave Barry's essay.
One of my favorite parts of Changing Life's Simple Stories into Sales is a section called The Trick List: 15 Ways to Enhance Your Writing. The list features various simple tips that, when added, will undoubtedly make your story more readable, more memorable. (As an aside, The Trick List is complemented later in the book by The Don'ts List: 11 Mistakes to Avoid.)
In his colonoscopy column, Dave Barry uses nearly all of the tricks I highlight in the list. Now, this can mean one of several things:
1. Dave Barry read my book.
2. I wrote the book after reading Dave's column.
3. Dave and I are friends and collaborate on all of our works.
4. Dave Barry is an exceptionally talented writer and my book teaches you how to hone your skills to become just that.
Let's go with #4.
For example, point number 5 on The Trick List is to "Use Simple, Visual Similes and Metaphors." How often have you neglected to add similes or metaphors to your WIP because doing so requires some tweaking to find the right one for the application at hand? Or worse yet, how many awkward, difficult-to-decipher similes have you deleted from your own work or been annoyed with in other published writings? Adding a clear and meaningful simile or metaphor isn't novel advice. Yet somehow this technique is grossly neglected by many writers, both published and non.
Another Trick List tip is number 8, "Single Out a Sentence as a Separate Paragraph." You can also use a few-word phrase in a paragraph of its own. The impact, of course, results by forcing the reader to place emphasis on those words, on that action, and/or on the emotion the action evokes. Again, the advice isn't all that profound but is extremely effective and very easily implemented.
A final technique featured in the list is noted in lucky tip number 13, "Choose a Theme." We don't need to get into a heavy discussion defining theme at this time. What I refer to here is the idea of applying a recurrent idea, a motif, if you will, to your writing. By referring lightly to the chosen theme throughout the piece, you'll weave in a thread that will pull the reader from your gripping beginning to a satisflying end.
While I don't have permission to show you explicitly how Dave Barry executes these tidbits of advice (although I do have permission to link to his essay), you are fully capable of reading the piece and extracting the examples on your own.
Please don't poo-poo these suggestions as minor or measly or insignificant. After you note the use of these techniques in Barry's writing and see how powerfully effective they can be, I hope you'll pull out your drafts and apply them yourself. Using theme and relevant metaphors, for example, are the fundamentals upon which most good writing rests. Why not go back to giving the basics a try?
And for those of you approaching 50 or older, don't forget to sign up for the dreaded invasive procedure, if for no other reason than to earn Dave's certificate. In the end, there's a theme to be followed here: Purging and exploring helps colons and writers. (Oh yeah, and it doesn't hurt to come full circle either.)
If interested in purchasing Write Well & Sell: Changing Life's Simple Stories into Sales, email me. It's $10 plus shipping. (I like to use the $4.95 Priority envelopes so the book arrives in good condition and in a day or so.)
Posted by Judy at 11:09 AM | Comments (10)