A pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team was making his first appearance in a Major League game. About 50,000 people watched as he took the mound. He wanted to be careful and not make any mistakes - and he was a little too careful. He walked the first two batters. His manager came out to talk to him and gave him a sage piece of advice. He said, "Babe Ruth's dead, son; throw strikes."
In other words, don't get too cutesy with what you're doing. Throw the ball over the plate.
The manager's advice is good for writers, too. Are we saying what we want to say or are our words missing the target just like the pitches were missing the plate.
Read over your work and remember: Babe Ruth's dead. Throw strikes.
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Babe Ruth's dead
ReplyDeleteThat's distressing news about the Babe!
ReplyDeleteSo, I'll try to post again, although my former attempts have failed.
This is my second try, John. Checking to see if my comment gets recorded and shows.
ReplyDelete