Writing doesn’t take too much courage. Heck, you can post a lot of drivel on the Internet. No one may read a word, but you get to express yourself.

Billions of words appear daily on the Internet. Some words inspire change and major paradigm shifts. Some face the wrath and doom of Alexa and Google.

Lots of palaverous politicing has been expressed lately. Some of those “rhetorical flourishes” are worth hearing.

Clearly, Barack Obama’s presidential campaign inspired a pivotal transformation in U.S. politics. History will educate us about the impact of this political metamorphosis on Pennsylvania Avenue brings to the Main Streets of America.

Imagine the courage or chutzpah Barack Obama garnered when choosing to become the president of the United States. Dissuasion would come from every quadrant of his life. Nothing thwarted his intention; failure was not an option. But most importantly, he was not afraid to fail, nor were any of the other many candidates.

Here are a few observations about our president-elect analogous to writing.

1. He’s cool.

He does not seem to hide. He appears “comfortable in his skin”, and he’s not afraid to declare what matters to him. I’m not naive; politicians express themselves to achieve a purpose, but after two years, we’ve become accustomed to his face. What this may indicate is a man who knows where he’s going.

Writers must possess the same clarity. Where are you going with this article? What is the point? What difference will it make? These themes resonated in Barack Obama’s presidential campaign strategy. He knew where he was going.

2. He’s intelligent.

Dr. Seuss wrote intelligent books too. One of my favorites is “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. This one has a little star, this one has a little car.” Dr. Seuss makes the difficult simple, colorful, and lively.

Not many attend Columbia or Harvard Law School. Mr. Obama considers this a privilege that his mom and grandmother both encouraged and pushed him toward. As you may remember, his mother awakened Barack at 4:30 in the morning to tutor him. That’s commitment for both of them.  

3. He’s willing to sell himself to us.

The crowds around Barack Obama made other candidate events look like high school reunions. Voters crowded themselves to hear his message. He’s not a god, but he certainly created enthusiasm. I think he’s  affective because he believes in himself, and he’s the product.

Look at all the better blog writers, Internet article writers, or copywriters. Each has similar approaches to get results, but each distinguishes themselves with the unique personality of their message. They know themselves, and they parade their strengths. Writers should do likewise.

William Zinsser writes, “Ultimately the product that any writer has to sell is not the subject being written about, but who he or she is. I often find myself reading with interest about a topic I never thought would interest me….What holds me is the enthusiasm of the writer for his field….This is the personal transaction…. Out of it come two of the most important qualities…humanity and warmth.”
(On Writing Well, William Zinsser, 2001, p5)

Learning to write with human warmth, caring, and kindness are the most basic and essential rudiments to good writing.

When you sell a man a book, you don’t sell him 12 ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life.” Christopher Morley, American writer and editor 1890-1957. (ThinkExist.com)

Authors demonstrate their courage, knowledge, passion, and beliefs when writing. Putting words on blank screens or white bond paper requires boldness. Not the inner compulsion of a soldier chasing his enemy during darkness, nor the boldness of a fireman checking a burning house to save a child. Writing does not merit that level of attention or honor. Finding words, crafting sentences, organizing thoughts, delivering ideas that “sell…a whole new life” demands a unique and necessary courage.

Knowing something helps. Everybody knows something; even the shy and reticent observe and ponder. What we know often shows up when sharing our opinon about politics or religion (two subjects my grandmother said should not be talked about at Sunday dinner). Our heirarchies of knowledge come to us as we are educated and when our minds tinker with functions, ideas, mechanics, or visions.

Only the dull-witted or dysfunctional lack passion (or maybe their passion is dull-wit and dysfunction). Fire-in-the-belly morphs mediocrity into brilliance. Not the brilliance of a Rhodes Scholar. Passion is the heat that stirs thoughts, makes hearts race, and changes the course of a conversation or the direction of history. Passion needs little sleep. Passion is a gift of life; not one of us lacks this dynamic expression.

Beliefs give passion and courage boundaries. Beliefs challenge and test knowledge. Without beliefs the writer lacks the guidance of core values (a constant theme of our local elementary school principal). We draft and edit our beliefs from birthday to birthday until they become deeply embedded within the motives of our subconscious. Beliefs matter and deserve our attention and articulation as writers.

Christmas morning, December 25, 2004, my youngest daughter gave me a copy of On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Before Christmas, she and I were shopping at Borders or Barnes and Noble. She said, “Dad, what can I get you for Christmas?” I said, “How about a copy of On Writing Well.” Christmas morning she handed me a small book neatly wrapped.

Inside the book cover she wrote, ” Dear Dad, Merry Christmas! Thank you for being such a great dad and a loving parent. Love (her name)”

After reading her loving note, I read the ‘Introduction”. The first sentence reads, “When I first wrote this book, in 1976, the readers I had in mind were a relatively small segment of the population: students, writers, editors and people who wanted to learn to write.” These are the folks who have courage, knowledge, passion, and beliefs. Do you?