This is highly recommended, a series where I provide a compelling argument for why you should like something that I like.
Dear Reader,
Even though I’m a seasoned writer, I don’t usually talk writing on highly recommended. That’s because I would never recommend writing – it takes too long, it’s boring and it’s yet to bring any real joy to my life. (It has only brought a steady paycheck and a wish that I was born with the natural ability to do something that brings much larger steady paychecks.)
But as a capital-B Blogger, I figured that my loyal readers would enjoy a peek into my writing process. (I have a feeling that those “creative process” pieces do big numbers. Not that I really care about numbers, as evident by the content I’ve been posting for the past year.) A major part of my process includes picking out which words to write and then spelling those words in my brain as I write them down. Because I’ve been writing for so long (flex), my brain does a lot of the spelling without me having to think about it. But there’s still one word that inspires a little mental gymnastics.
I highly recommend saying “wed ness day” when you write Wednesday.
Why?
Livens Up Writing The Date
Writing the date is a necessary evil. It’s important for your readers to know the date of the piece they’re reading because it provides a lot of context. For example, a highly recommended published on May 22, 2018 was written under much different emotional conditions than a piece published on August 21, 2018. (I’m not going to use this precious blog space to explain why – real Holder Heads™ already know the truth.) Normally, adding the date feels like an unnecessary burden. But when the date I’m publishing falls on a Wednesday (like today!), I get a real reason to say “wed ness day”. And that makes everything more exciting.
Makes The Middle Of The Week More Fun
Ah, hump day. Typically not my favorite day of the week, especially because it coincides with me getting absolutely destroyed in pick-up basketball on one of New York City’s many fine playgrounds. But as I’m wiping the excessive sweat from my brow following yet another misguided attempt to dribble with my left hand, I remember that it’s “wed ness day” and everything (even my bruised ego) feels better.
Enjoyable To Say
This should probably be obvious by this point, but “wed ness day” is just really fucking fun to say. Three strong syllables. Repetitive “D” sounds. An odd sense of calm from the soothing -ay sound. Even when I say it in my head I still feel good.
Spelling The Word Wednesday Correctly
I’m not the most effective speller. And honestly, I don’t feel like I need to be – those red squiggly lines keep me in check. But nailing a tough word like Wednesday always gives me a little bit of satisfaction. (Along with correctly remembering “I before E but not after C”.) The only way I can possibly spell that word correctly is by saying the bastardized version of it. Sometimes, it’s more satisfying to keep that spell check count low than to finish writing a blog post. At this point, I’m not entirely sure which one is more difficult for me.
Reminds Me That Words Are Weird
Not to get all three bong hits deep in a dorm room on you, but words are incredibly weird. Especially the ones that make up the English language. Like, they all mean something on their own. They mean something different when combined with other words. And all of those meanings are completely made up. I think that if I was high when trying to write the word Wednesday, I wouldn’t get past the “ness”.
There’s got to be one thing you don’t like about saying wed ness day when you write Wednesday.
Feeling Dumb
After all of the times I’ve written Wednesday (has to be in the millions), shouldn’t I be able to spell it without having to say “wed ness day”? Am I really as tethered to the burden of being a good writer as I think I am? Somebody please tell me that I’m not very good so I no longer have to do this for a living. I can find something else. It can’t be that hard. I’m pretty good at showering efficiently, so maybe that’s something I can do for a living.
If I do have to keep writing, maybe I’ll just keep writing about my “process”. I’ll detail where I get the inspiration for my ideas. Create a list of my favorite productivity apps. Dedicate a whole post to the snacks that help keep me focused when I’m on (a usually self-imposed) deadline. Writing about writing will probably be more interesting to you than my writing about things that I like that I think you should like.
Maybe I’ll become one of those writers who is hyper-focused on a specific subject. I’ll become an expert on the written word. Someone other writers write to when they need help writing.
But I probably won’t. Because writing sucks.
love,
nicholas