A good writer writes well. This truism maintains that a good
writer is has mastered the craft of writing. Unfortunately, this feat does not
come without considerable effort, for takes some good old-fashioned study in
grammar and spelling. Unfortunately, the linguistic mechanics furnish only the
means of entry, though this point seems to be lost on the American English teachers
who slighted grammar pedagogically in the opening decades of the twenty-first
century. Perhaps the novelists who have felt immune from being grammatical for
the sake of style have been the interlarded culprits behind the trend of
grammar be viewed as relative or an elective. To be sure, style has right of
exception, but the problem is when the exceptions become the norm and even an
excuse for bad grammar. This is all just foundational stuff; the quality
distinguishing the excellent writer from even a good one is passion-fueled
insight. The writer who writes out of a strong urge, or
instinct, to express an insight publicly naturally finds his or her
own voice, and thus identity, as a writer. In this sense, a writer
is like an entrepreneur whose passion breaks through the confines of an
organizational structure like lava pushes through the tough shell of a lava
dome.
As an entrepreneur, Richard Branson founded the Virgin Group,
which went on to include more than 300 companies in the second quarter of 2011.
Ordinarily, the reality of running a cumbersome corporation saps
entrepreneurial talent, which enables managerial creatures to swoop in and take
the reins of power from the founder. In the case of Branson, however, having a
large company did not prevent him from taking on new commercial ventures that
reflected his dreams in a way that solidified rather than weakened his control.
"I'm just ridiculously lucky," he said, "and [I] just love to
live my dreams." True to form, he pioneered Virgin Galactic into space and
Virgin Oceanic into the deep sea, utilizing the wealth of a large corporation to
do so.
The key to Branson’s business success was his strong passion for
exploration. "The interesting thing about exploration is . . . you never
quite know what you're going to discover," he said. A discovery is often a
significant find, even one that is of a hitherto unknown paradigm. For example,
commercial flights into orbit or even the moon would change the meaning of flights. The uncertainty alone of such a
paradigm-changer could easily be choked by organizational managers reflecting
the caution that has been innate in most corporate cultures.
Similarly, editors at publishing houses can act as conservative hedges against a novel idea reaching an audience and hopefully society itself. Like Branson, an excellent writer merges the strong motive of a passion with something new enough to matter. Accordingly, Branson’s advice on choosing a profession has bearing on writers: "don't try to start a business because you think you can make money. Start a business because you really want to."
Similarly, the excellent writer utilizes the mechanics of writing to express an underlying passion rather than merely to write for its own sake or to make money. Such a writer is likely to deliver a unique and interesting perspective that is a real contribution because passion tends to go further in the sense of uncovering. Passion-fueled insight can be revolutionary, and thus be a provocation to the interests vested in the status quo.
In terms of writing, revolutionary ideas such as those of the European philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteenth century can simply be ignored until long after the writer’s death. No philosopher is a man of his times, Nietzsche wrote. No paradigm-wrestling philosopher that is; plenty of pedestrian philosophers fit perfectly well in the society of their day. Such philosophers tend to study minutia and fit in cubby-holes at universities. To question the assumptions of the operating paradigm of the day and even present alternatives is the mission of a learned philosopher whose learning has enabled him or her to escape the usual orbits. Unitary explorers who have a passion for their respective unique ideas, which are of tremendous value, are not only those philosophers, but great writers more generally who have something very significant to present to the world.
Similarly, editors at publishing houses can act as conservative hedges against a novel idea reaching an audience and hopefully society itself. Like Branson, an excellent writer merges the strong motive of a passion with something new enough to matter. Accordingly, Branson’s advice on choosing a profession has bearing on writers: "don't try to start a business because you think you can make money. Start a business because you really want to."
Similarly, the excellent writer utilizes the mechanics of writing to express an underlying passion rather than merely to write for its own sake or to make money. Such a writer is likely to deliver a unique and interesting perspective that is a real contribution because passion tends to go further in the sense of uncovering. Passion-fueled insight can be revolutionary, and thus be a provocation to the interests vested in the status quo.
In terms of writing, revolutionary ideas such as those of the European philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche in the nineteenth century can simply be ignored until long after the writer’s death. No philosopher is a man of his times, Nietzsche wrote. No paradigm-wrestling philosopher that is; plenty of pedestrian philosophers fit perfectly well in the society of their day. Such philosophers tend to study minutia and fit in cubby-holes at universities. To question the assumptions of the operating paradigm of the day and even present alternatives is the mission of a learned philosopher whose learning has enabled him or her to escape the usual orbits. Unitary explorers who have a passion for their respective unique ideas, which are of tremendous value, are not only those philosophers, but great writers more generally who have something very significant to present to the world.
