This Is Too Much

Dropping By, Part 1

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The knock at the door was persistent. Delivery men usually knock once then put the package down and leave. The commotion had grabbed my attention, and provoked me in the process.

I was getting good work done on The Road Less Travelled project. I wasn’t sure what time it was, or really much of anything other than the effortless flow of words, and tight, incisive editing.

Effective editing is an awesome experience. I print out my projects in a 13 point font with a 5 inch column. I use old-school Paper Mate Flairs - felt tip pens, red. I hack at the text with relish, breaking apart lumps of gooey, mangled kludge.

The current client loves to use the word “this”, and let that word stand alone without explanation. “This” becomes his essential ambiguity, a way to deny any reader clear understanding. I have had to replace ‘this’ 10 times in the first page.

One example. My client wrote, “this is why we have to discuss why we should focus on moving forward on this.” If I gave you a whole piece of copy, you’d never understand the purpose of “this” cruft. Now it reads, “We avoid change. We remain frozen. We have isolated this company, and suffer.”

I was literate, and my client would look brilliant. I exorcised the ‘this’es and replaced them with clarity. I was spinning gold from moldy straw, the kind that is black and toxic, and creeps up from distressed floor boards and chair rails.

More banging finally brought me to my feet and to the door. I prepared a nasty glare, but couldn’t find some Churchillian insult to match.

It was Buddy. “Dude, I brought you some coffee.”

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“No reason. I had a breakfast meeting is all. So I thought I’d bring you coffee.”

He walked in with Starbucks and a package wrapped in plain brown paper.

… continued