A good friend of mine complimented my writing today. That’s a good compliment because I like her writing a lot too. A few weeks ago another friend complimented my photography. That’s a good compliment because I like his taste a lot too. 

With the earlier compliment, the one about the photography, it has basically inspired me to shoot exclusively in black and white unless I have a compelling reason not to.

I’m not sure the more recent compliment is something I can take action on, exactly. After she complimented me we talked about writing for a while and she said that we are so nested in a Russian doll of metaphor that our language can’t be pulled apart from it. I said it goes further, each and every word is a micro-metaphor and idiom. When I say Cat, I think of my grandma’s cat, the one who’s tail I pulled that one time. A tabby, I think. When I think of the word Dingus, I think of specific times that word has been used by people I love.

I said that rather than attempting something like clarity and Truth in my writing I try to speak specifically in a way that is compelling to me and to the people I love, if you don’t get it, I don’t care. At least when it comes to the writing on this blog and my personal communication with friends, I’m not going for clarity, I’m going for earnestness and love. 

I think that’s what makes writing good, how earnest it is.