What Choice Did I Have?

"Trumbo" is a film worth seeing; Bryan Cranston is terrific in the titular role. But it is clearly time for filmmakers to dump that tired scene when a writer balls up a piece of typewriter paper and tosses it into a nearby trash can. There's got to be a fresher way to depict the frustration that perpetually accompanies writing.

My suggestion? How about having a writer look up a word - via the Internet or dictionary - and then pulling on the hair or suitable body part? Like what happened to me not long after hearing an excellent lecture about the philosopher Soren Kierkegaard. The lecturer ended by saying a single word - choose. Hair pulling was not far in my future.

It began as I reflected on the choices I make every time I write even a simple blog post. Each choice, i.e. each word, can determine if a sentence will come alive; imprecise words have a deadening effect on most prose. Grabbed the dictionary to look up "choose", thinking I'd write a post about this simple word most of us use frequently. Read the distinctions that separate some of the synonyms for choose - select, pick, elect, prefer. Big mistake.