“The difference between the almost-right word and the right word is really a large matter—it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.”
—Mark Twain
I love this line from Mark Twain. In October of 2008 I visited his home near Hartford, Connecticut, where he wrote some of his most famous work including the adventures of both Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. I was duly impressed. At the nearby museum honoring Mr. Clemens, I learned he was fastidious about the quotations he spouted. He scratched out dozens of drafts with the wording changed slightly in just a sentence or two before he settled on the right phraseology.
I love this about Mark Twain. I wonder how many drafts the above quote went through before he landed on perfection.
Being a good writer is knowing how to excise the waste and strike lightning into the hearts of readers with a turn of phrase that is just right. I strive to reach that pinnacle of writing and frequently fail. But when it happens, it fills me up and my readers notice.
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