Nicola Vincent-Abnett

Nicola Vincent-Abnett
"Savant" for Solaris, Wild's End, Further Associates of Sherlock Holms, more Wild's End

Sunday 18 March 2012

Happy Mother's Day


I am, of course, referring only to my own mother. If I wanted to include every mother, I would have moved the apostrophe over one place. That’s how it’s done.

I’m not the sort of writer who can ever write casually. 
It’s a nightmare. 
I can’t just toss off a note to the husband, or scribble a list on the fridge. I can’t fill a celebration card full of gushing sentiment and finish with noughts and crosses, or is that hugs and kisses? E-mails are a nightmare, and I cannot ‘do’ text-speak, although I do text. I twitter too, and I write flash fiction. This suggests that concision isn’t a problem, so what is my hang-up?
Well... My hang-up is this: The chances are that if I’ve written something down, someone’s going to read it. I know that virtually none of those people will care whether my spelling is correct or my grammar accurate, but, here’s the thing: I care!
I’m the sort of person who has an opinion about everything, and, sometimes, I feel like I have to work hard to be understood when not all those around me agree with everything that I say. Writing isn’t like that. I don’t struggle when I write; I have time to think, and then more time to consider how transparent I have been, how well I have ordered my thoughts and how persuasive are my arguments. When I write, clarity is everything, and I don’t stop writing until I feel that I have achieved it.
So, when I say, “Happy Mother’s Day”, I am saying it directly to my mother, and it doesn’t matter that she doesn’t, necessarily, realise that the message is intended only for her, but, for me, it’s the only way to adequately express my sentiments.
To the rest of you mothers out there, “Happy Mothers’ Day”, I hope your children feel the same way about their mothers as I do about mine.

1 comment:

  1. *grin* I'm surprised nobody has slapped your wrist over being American about it, even if your apostrophes are perfectly placed. :)

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