With this post I understand the concept behind your Substack. Also, in the law words can set precedents and invite significant analysis. Thus I labor carefully over my choices. And then there is the Talmud!! Centuries of discourse over a single word …
What great examples! Thank you so much! There are all kinds of writing, and we had not thought of the pressure to get the right words in the law. Everything depends on it. In a way, words hold up the whole edifice!
Finding the right words is the essence of songwriting with finding the rhyming right word adding to the degree of difficulty. I've been coached by the lyricist Marcy Heisler lately, and I have on my whiteboard in giant letters the following advice for the process of drafting a song lyric and searching for the right words: "It's a puzzle, not a problem. Make it fun."
Thank you Barbara and Elizabeth for exploring this topic. I am writing a childhood memoir from the different ages of a child. I get flummoxed by the lack of vocabulary a child has in explaining her viewpoint. Any suggestions?
So…you want to communicate the viewpoint of a child who lacks much (or any) vocabulary. Consider expanding your concept of “language” to include the non-verbal aspects of communication —facial expression, gesture, and mouth sounds of all kinds. You certainly could describe these. But, developing a sense of the child’s inner perspective seems like the toughest part, since it’s wordless. Maybe you could speak about the child’s inner world of non-verbal visual and auditory memories, associations, wishes. Readers might have to interpret what you describe, the way a reader interprets the essential message of a poem.
Also, are you familiar with "Narratives From the Crib," by Katherine Nelson? You might find it helpful.
With this post I understand the concept behind your Substack. Also, in the law words can set precedents and invite significant analysis. Thus I labor carefully over my choices. And then there is the Talmud!! Centuries of discourse over a single word …
What great examples! Thank you so much! There are all kinds of writing, and we had not thought of the pressure to get the right words in the law. Everything depends on it. In a way, words hold up the whole edifice!
Love this!
Finding the right words is the essence of songwriting with finding the rhyming right word adding to the degree of difficulty. I've been coached by the lyricist Marcy Heisler lately, and I have on my whiteboard in giant letters the following advice for the process of drafting a song lyric and searching for the right words: "It's a puzzle, not a problem. Make it fun."
This is so perfect.
Thank you Barbara and Elizabeth for exploring this topic. I am writing a childhood memoir from the different ages of a child. I get flummoxed by the lack of vocabulary a child has in explaining her viewpoint. Any suggestions?
What a terrific project! We have a few ideas.
So…you want to communicate the viewpoint of a child who lacks much (or any) vocabulary. Consider expanding your concept of “language” to include the non-verbal aspects of communication —facial expression, gesture, and mouth sounds of all kinds. You certainly could describe these. But, developing a sense of the child’s inner perspective seems like the toughest part, since it’s wordless. Maybe you could speak about the child’s inner world of non-verbal visual and auditory memories, associations, wishes. Readers might have to interpret what you describe, the way a reader interprets the essential message of a poem.
Also, are you familiar with "Narratives From the Crib," by Katherine Nelson? You might find it helpful.