Thank you for this timely wake up call.

Doctor King's words seemed to be measured and well thought out. I'm sure he wanted his voice to reflect what was in his heart and mind. The same with Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison and many other gifted wordsmiths.

Gifted. To write what is on their minds in a clear and non-ambiguous manner. No smileys, symbols, or substituting numbers 4 words. Just pure honest text.

I read so much junk writing that it often stifles my own efforts. From newspapers, magazines, posters, advertisements, and e-mails; I wonder who are they trying to communicate with? Then I ponder whether or not to take another writing class.

Spell-check. In school, I was a pretty good speller. Today, I have no less than three dictionaries in my computer room, and my word processor squiggles underneath every unrecognized text I type out. This is overkill. I bet if I use less slang and the above mentioned effronteries, my need for spell check will be eliminated. After all, I'm still a good speller and flipping the pages of a dictionary still gives the perception of discovery and learning the language.

There is the sense that your writing should be at the speed of thought. With technology, you can speak into a microphone and watch your words appear on a computer screen. Is your writing, thinking and intellect up to that kind of warp speed? Mine isn't.

I come away thinking that Martin, Maya, and Toni are not in a hurry to express themselves.
They're not yapping into a mic and turning on the business/conversational/grammar style-check of Microsoft Word to tell them if their sentences are correct. I just can't imagine that happening.

Our family history writing will be so much more interesting if we set technology aside and, as Write Away suggests, envision who it is we want to communicate with. In speaking to that vision, we will find our voice.

Peace,
"Guided by the Ancestors"