Be Readable

"The virtue of books is to be readable."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writers should write with Emerson's words in mind. If not, then they write for themselves, probably quite well, too, but their work will more likely reside in journals kept under their desks than on book shelves in stores. Some say that money is not the object, and I agree. Writing is the point, but for whom do we write? Readers. Create a universe, populate it, add a protagonist, confront him or her with an antagonist, give them opposing goals, stir the pages with conflict, and make your readers demand to read a next page. Just watch what happens. You can have everything you want. Why? Because "[t]he virtue of books is to be readable." Emerson was right.


© 2009, Steven R. Lundin, all rights reserved