The other day it was brought to my attention by someone that I don't write anecdotal stuff much. Although actually it was phrased quite differently and was not really an observation but simply a comment about something somewhat related. Still, it made me think about the fact that I do not write anecdotes here much. At all. Ever.
There are good reasons for this.
I don't enjoy it.
I don't have exciting stories that can be described in vivid detail, rather small episodes of life that happen in short bursts. If I were to write about them then there would be millions of one sentence blog posts, which is stupid and frustrating.
Anecdotes always have some exciting moral or some such thing that give them more memorability and also make the person who writes them look perceptive.
The last reason is one I can say more about. Because its the one that really stops me from doing them.
I never draw exciting morals or other things similar from my personal experiences. I would actually really hate to write an anecdote without one of those. It annoys me when I read them and they end with something like "isn't that funny?". It just makes it pointless. (Although in person those stories are actually hilarious. Maybe I just have my serious glasses on when I read stuff).
So, anyway, I thought about this for a while. I came to a conclusion. The conclusion is that the reason I don't ever draw such morals or whatever from my personal experiences is that I never think all the information is in. I would be hesitant to make any statements of value from an experience when another one could contradict it, or add more information. So, I never bother writing it down because there is no point.
huh, I guess that was kinda anecdotal.
Isn't that funny?
"'Strangers. . .who are you? and where from? What brings you here by sea ways- a fair traffic?'" Homer's Odyssey, Book 9, lines 274-5.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Let Anecdotes be Anathema.
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