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The words we speak matter.
How Does This Improve on the Silence?
I’m in a poetry workshop called “Poems That Don’t Suck.” It is the fiercest, most challenging, transformative writing class I’ve ever taken. It’s the brainchild of Megan Falley, consummate poet, teacher, and all around badass.
During one of the sessions, she introduced some editing techniques. This one really struck me in my hidey places. Calling me out.
Ask yourself, “How does this improve on the silence?”
The veil dissolved for an instant, and that question scurried right into my little wordbag of talismans. It’s an excellent technique for writing anything — poetry, prose, novels, articles.
But it’s also an invaluable question for us to carry with us everywhere.
How does this improve on the silence?
In Buddhism there are five main precepts:
1. Refrain from killing any living thing.
2. Refrain from taking what is not freely given.
3. Refrain from misuse of the senses (sexual misconduct).
4. Refrain from intoxicants of any kind that cloud the mind.
5. Refrain from wrong speech.
