Expressing ourselves

About thirty years ago, the phrase, "express yourself" was all the rage. While I was never quite sure what that meant, I think it was an attempt to encourage people to voice their individuality....or something.

Whatever it was then, it's still important now. I bring this up because of an email exchange I had with an old friend, Peter Ruscitti. He wrote something to me that expresses far better than I can the essence of why I keep harping on proper grammar, usage, and syntax with my students. Here's what Peter wrote:

"In an information age, it’s not enough just to know something.  You have to know how to express it."  

This may seem obvious, but it's not. Think about it for a second. How many Americans today believe that what you say (or write) is the only thing that matters, ignoring the fact that how you say it (or write it) will determine how well your message gets through.

There's an easy way to learn how to become a better writer, too. It's not hard, and this is not a secret. 

The way to become a better writer--with minimal effort--is to read good books. Yup, you need to read as much as you can and as often as you can. 

But when you read, pay attention to how the author phrases things--pay attention to the rhythm and the clarity. Pay attention to the word choice. And, yes, pay attention to the punctuation. 

If you do, you'll find yourself instinctively developing the same good habits of composition when you sit down to write. 

All you have to do is pay attention. In this information age, isn't that everything?