Aspire to Inspire

When engaging my students in writing exercises, they are encouraged to consider the ageless adage that "it's not what you say but how you say it" that matters. Shouldn't all writers look at their writing this way? After all, what good does thorough, accurate, technically perfect writing do if it bores readers to death? It's not the content that inspires readers, but rather the way writers deliver that content that makes all the difference. How you express yourself on the page is what makes you the unique writer you are. Sure, content is important and research and accuracy are crucial to good writing. But when it all comes together, it's the way you phrase things, the rhythm of your language, and the structure of your sentences that gives you the power to inspire readers. Informing is one thing, but inspiring is quite another. All writers aspire to inspire, and it's through paying attention to stylistic nuances of cadence and syntax and flow that they are able to achieve it. It's through paying attention to how they say things. A good writer can write about anything, but an excellent writer can write about anything and make it sensational, no matter how mundane it is. By concentrating on how you say what you say, and making that your primary focus, you can be the kind of writer that matters to readers.