My mother was always reading a book. It’s my strongest memory of her, as I was growing up. Whether I was in the lounge with her, watching television, or when we were on vacation. There were books within arm’s reach, and she would sooner or later have her nose in one. I, meanwhile, grew up watching television. The first adult-level novel I read all the way through was an adaptation of the 1989 film, Batman. I read some Roald Dahl novels. But I preferred television and computer games. The A-Team was my favorite show.
Still, as I got a bit older, I couldn’t help noticing all the books on the shelves behind the T.V. and around the computer. It wasn’t a calculated ruse to lure me into reading books. Both my parents preferred the company of books to most people, let alone other media. They found them more nourishing. That was all there was to it. These days I have to say I tend to feel the same way, with no offense meant to humanity!
For me, the journey to loving words started with enjoying films more than television. Then, if you’re going to immerse yourself in something for three hours, why not read a book over the course of a week? Since 2017 I’ve read an average of 33 books a year. I find that when I’m reading a book, no matter what it is, I can feel my brain making connections and getting smarter. My ideal life is one spent reading books and writing. I’m very lucky indeed to have forged a career that allows me to do those two things.
I’ve been luckier still over the last couple of weeks to be working with an editor who feels the same about words. I’m helping him and his team edit a newsletter, and most days, we’ll review my first drafts together on a Slack huddle. He’ll make rye remarks about my word choices with the eye of a writer. We’ll have a little chuckle over things. I always appreciate a good editor. There’s nothing more wonderful than to work with someone with time and energy to attend to your words. A couple of days into our engagement, I told him, “It’s a real privilege to have someone care so much about my word choices.”
I wasn’t sucking up. I meant it. And he said, “words are the cheapest things we have.” Which was a good way of putting it. If words matter, and the choices count, and they cost so little to replace, then why not agonize over them? At least for 30 minutes on a Slack huddle?
Of course, my clients care that I can make good word choices on my own. They hire me because I have decades of experience as a professional writer. As a former journalist I have an eye for pulling out the stories with real pull from your work. But this engaging dialog over word choice is unusual. Often, I’ll track changes in documents. But going through a document in real time, and having a conversation, it’s more fun!
Next time you’re working on a document that’s going to have some valuable eyeballs on it, think about this. Who should be in the dialog about what it says? Is there a way to have that discussion in real time, rather than in tracked changes? Can you share screen on a zoom call? Get on a slack huddle? Chat about the words you’re using. Aside from being a fun way to connect with another human being, I guarantee it will improve the outcome no matter who your parents are, or how they feel about books and other people.
—Matt Davis is a communications consultant and writer for a wide variety of clients. He also teaches yoga and lives with his wife and son in New York.
