I’d rather read a bad writer who loves words than a good writer who doesn't.

Dee Dee set this sign outside her bedroom door
with her stuffed unicorns; it reads 'daddy loves mom'

I had a writing professor at Calvin College (when I was in the Secondary Education program) who read grade school essays aloud and asked what we thought.

The first was filled with usage errors. We all agreed it belonged to a remedial student. The professor said nothing, then read another from the same grade level, and another, finally finishing with a grammatically correct and well-structured essay.

Then he asked again: Which one was better?

The last, we all said.

No, he said. The first, because it’s personal and honest. The last one was superficial and trivial. The first showed sincerity and effort. The last demonstrated only good mechanics.

 Professor Henry Baron

Good writers are honest with themselves and their readers.

That was Professor Henry Baron. That lesson, and others like it, fundamentally shaped me in ways I will never be able to measure.

c0

I’d rather read a bad writer who loves words than a good writer who doesn't.

[2013-03-13]

c0