The Strain of Writing

Writing is the ultimate strainer. Think of a food strainer used to draw out the excess liquid in a bowl of pasta. Or, even better, think of a sand sifter used in an old gold mine that strains sand out of a river to look for those little gold nuggets. The process of writing involves straining or disregarding thousands of words and phrases. Everyone knows that after high school, having too little to say is not an issue; It is always having too much to say that is the problem. Putting pen to paper produces precision. Excess must be cut. Unuseful and unnecessary sentences, jots, and tittles must be erased. Our thoughts and ideas must be sifted like sand in search of something substantive. We strain and strain till finally after millions of grains of dirt are thrown away, a small gold flake is uncovered. That little flake is worth the wading, the willpower, the work of stretching the mind and heart of all its contents.