The Gift of Craftsmanship

With Christmas fast approaching, many of us have gift giving on our minds. If you’re like me, you might be feeling just a bit overwhelmed as you search for the perfect gift for your loved ones. My four-year-old is easy. His current obsession is bowling, so my husband and I feel pretty sure anything bowling-related will be a big hit.

But others in our family-you know the ones I mean, Mr. and Ms. Never Satisfied with Anything-present a greater challenge. Clothes are always too large or too small, the wrong color, or the latest trend too trendy. Candy is out of the question because you don’t want to be held responsible for ruining someone’s perpetual attempts at dieting, and jewelry . . . well, who can afford that anyway? Will this be the year we finally wow that impossible to shop for family member? Will we finally land on that perfect gift that will leave our loved ones happy and satisfied? Probably not.

Here’s the good news. While we may never satisfy those grumpy folks on our shopping lists, as writers, we can offer the perfect gift-fine craftsmanship-to our readers year round. Craftsmanship might not be a term you readily associate with writing. Perhaps the word craft conjures images of a woodworker, carpenter, or some other manual laborer. But the reality is that we as writers are practitioners of word craft. We are in the business of carefully constructing words in a way that effectively communicates with our readership. In order to do that, we must first be masters of the tools of our trade.

What does that mean exactly? As boring and unglamorous as it is, we must know and practice the basics of good writing-punctuation, spelling, grammar, effective and accurate diction. Our job is to powerfully (and clearly) share our insights and emotions, but we can’t do that without knowing (and using well) the mechanics of effective communication.

So, yes, spelling counts. Correct and precise diction are indispensable. Punctuation matters. Sound grammar is a must.

I’ve given up on finding the perfect gift for my family members who refuse to be pleased. So, instead, I turn my focus to you, my writing friends. This Christmas, I offer you the best writing gift I can present. The Commitment to Practice Sound Craftsmanship.

May God bless you with the merriest of all Christmases.

--Cheryl