Perhaps you've heard the old expression: All generalities are false, including this one.
Be careful of absolutes whether you're writing fiction or non-fiction. The problem in the example above is the word "all." All means everything, so if you use the word all, you better be certain there are no exceptions.
Other words to be careful of: every (and its partners - everybody, everything, every time), entirely, exclusively, without exception, peerless, best, worst...
If you are writing a narrative in which you say, "Everybody had a good time," I would wonder how you knew that. Did you ask everyone? You might reply, "Oh, no, that was just a generality" afterwhich I would refer you to the admonition at the start of this essay.
Have you ever watched a television news program where someone was the subject of an "exclusive" interview - and it's the same person you saw being interviewed a few hours ago on another station? How exclusive is that?
This is not being nit-picky. This is about being accurate. It's about intending every word you write.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
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