Writing is a difficult task, even for those of us who do a lot of it. One of the most important components of good writing is preparation. It’s vitally important to have a plan before starting. An outline, for example, that lays out the main points, arranged in a logical order, can help ensure your writing will be organized, cogent, and easy to follow.

Without an outline or similar preparation, it’s easy to go off on tangents. Have you ever noticed that the word “tangent” is very similar to the word “tangy”? This past Christmas, I gave my dad a gift that involved him reading a humorous script I wrote (I’m a writer, you see). When he got to the word “tangy”, he read it like, “tan-jee” and got the laughter he was hoping to get. From now on, I think everyone in our family will be pronouncing it that same way. I invite you to join us.

As I’ve gotten better at writing, I think I’ve also become better at evaluating the writing of others. I can usually tell, for example, when someone is writing without having first taken the time to think about what they want to write. Or, as another example, when they’ve tried to come up with ideas, failed, and decided to just wing it. It’s pretty obvious, actually, when that happens.

Frogs don’t really have beards. Once, though, I was photographing a frog at the edge of a lake and the way it was sitting in some frothy bubbles made it look like it had a beard. Gosh, that was funny.

For example, a writer who is just winging it will often lose track of their story and put thoughts completely out of order. In especially egregious cases, they might forget to remove paragraphs they wrote before fully settling on a topic and then fail to catch the error during a rushed proofreading attempt, possibly because they’re on deadline, perhaps self-imposed, and place speed above quality.

I just looked up the words “tangent” and “tangy” and it turns out they aren’t actually closely related at all. Tangent is derived from Latin and tangy probably comes from an old Proto-Germanic (whatever THAT is) term that means “to bite.” That doesn’t seem right, does it? Languages are weird.

As a proficient, experienced, and skilled writer, I also know my limitations. Some days, prepared or not, I can tell my brain just isn’t up to the task of writing. Most of the time, I’m fortunate to have the freedom to wait until my muse comes, as they say. Other times, though, I just try to distract my readers with nice photographs and hope for the best.

Did you know muses are women? Or anyway, they started out as mythological goddesses. It’s nice of them to have stuck around this long and to help those of us who sometimes struggle to think of something to write. I’m good at writing.

Welp, I think that’s the end.

Actually, there’s one more thing. I’m very fortunate (and grateful!) that I continue to get new subscribers to this blog. I often think about those new subscribers and how important it is for me to make a positive early impression on them.

I think about that a lot.