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“Water,
Water, Everywhere...” What do a dripping faucet, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and writing all have in common? Power. Harness this power and rivers transform into sources of electricity or words spring to life with meaning. Because it often goes unnoticed, water seems to be a humble entity. A leaky faucet can drip for days even weeks before someone says “enough” and calls a plumber or fixes it himself. Yet this same drip, drip, drip hides a singular strength. Thanks to eons of s-l-o-w leaks in caves, this power creates sculptures of rare beauty called stalactites and a constant drip can also wear away stone or crack boulders. Combine those drips into a stream of water the size of just one millimeter in diameter, then compress it under seventy-five pounds of pressure, water becomes a tool for better health in the skilled hands of a dental hygienist. (By the way, one millimeter is the size of the tip of a pointed toothpick.) Speaking of cutting and eons of persistence, water also roared through land that we now call the Grand Canyon making it one of the world’s greatest natural wonders. The characteristics of compression and persistence are hallmarks of water’s power. Could these two ideas also be lesson one for beginning writers? One science law I remember learning is any liquid takes the shape of its container. For the nonscientist this basic rule may sound almost ridiculous. That is until a novice writer believes his ego is more important than his craft. Often when someone pulls me aside to ask, “Please read this and tell me what you think,” my stomach knots. Why? Such an ego silently pleads “and please don’t hurt my feelings by telling me what I need to change.” Thus craft is forced to fit in the container of emotions rather than a writer struggling to sharpen his or her skills in order to express emotions. Obviously a lesson in the power of craft is not high on this person’s writing agenda. Niagara Falls has long been a popular spot for honeymooners and vacationers. What an apt metaphor for the playfulness and joy one can discover in the power of language. According to WORLD BOOK (copyright, 1999), one of the electric plants just below the Falls combined with a pumping station can provide about 2,400,000 kilowatts of energy. Because of the immensity of such an operation, the builders had to “sweat the details.” If not, the consequences would give new meaning to the word nightmare-- perhaps two more lessons for beginners? Finally, perhaps the most important lesson for beginning writers is not a lesson at all, but a secret. As it is a secret, very few discover it. Simply, one must discover the secret of power. While water and words can either destroy or heal, they have their limits. Water may be the source of life but our planet is not entirely ocean. Words may express the heights of our humanity or reveal how low we can become; yet words can also fail. In the process of writing to a friend whose daughter was accidentally shot and killed recently, I was keenly aware of the limits of words. However, I wrote her anyway. I wrote not only out of friendship but because writing is part of who I am. In my experience as a writer, I have discovered that when power knows its own limits, the truth that “words fail” becomes its greatest strength rather than weakness. Beginning writers, I long to give you the information that most other how-to articles may not. But as for advice, I can give you only the following. First read as many of those articles as you can, and reread them often. Take note of what works and what doesn’t. Because these articles are practical and useful, they can help you become an excellent writer. Yet these articles may not tell you the lessons you may need to hear. My second piece of advice will also be the last: After you have mastered the best techniques, learn to listen for the power in humble things like water and words. Let them teach you everything else you need to know. Presently I am a librarian in two private school libraries. I have published over fifty articles and over one hundred poems. I taught on various levels for seventeen years.
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