The art of good writing is dying in America. It seems that every fan of good language says that about their culture in their era. In our era, we face the challenge of the Internet, where media is changing how we communicate. The web facilitates quick interactions best and discourages deep thinking. It bursts forth a never-ending stream of alerts and posts. Its structure does not enhance our ability to reflect, dialogue, and develop linguistic skill.
Yet there is still a market and use for such skill. Just as I’ve read detailed business studies on how to move a company from good to great, moving from merely a good book to a great book requires concentration and deliberation on the part of the author. Fostering a diverse loyal community takes years of effort and cannot be easily replicated. I’m not sure that one needs to study the Queen’s English to reach English-language audiences properly, but engaging with one’s tribe and enlarging one’s tribe are even more important in the electronic era.
Historically, the English language has flourished under a policy of liberal adoption of vocabulary yet conservative adoption of grammar. (That is, new words are adopted freely; new grammar patterns are much slower.) Those trends seem to be in flux in an era of social media during which hashtags, emoticons, and abbreviations are all the rage. What will be taught as grammar in schools in 10-15 years? Will there be a conservative backlash to new grammar or will new forms of speech – not just phrases, forms – be adopted by the establishment, coming generations, and general audiences? Only time will tell answers to those questions.
I, for one, hope that language becomes less instantaneous and more reflective than it currently is. There is too much communication today that proceeds at the speed of light through Ethernet cables. It’s as if human thought needs to learn to keep up with technology. Slowing down to imbibe a deep and critical process of writing seems in order. This trait also distinguishes great writers from merely good writers.
By following that process of struggling with one’s own written word, writers can fall in love with the effects of language to heal. Instead of merely opining and reacting, people can reflectively use language to contribute and to bring peace. This is no different to how religion, at its best, has tried to use words in the past. Even in ancient texts like the Christian Bible, one sees a struggle to find the good word or good news. That theme is consistently present and suggests a little bit more reflection and a little bit more meditation. A good process to produce good writing conveys these messages. Indeed, it has the power to save its readers.
We need more good writers. I hope to be one of them.