I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Mark Twain. I remember in high school I was assigned to read his book Roughing It, which was a good 600 pages long, and, true to form, I waited until the weekend before the book report was due to start reading it.
That Saturday morning I hunkered down and willed myself to start reading it (I have to assume that I couldn't find the Cliff's Notes on it), but much to my suprise, I found myself getting wrapped up in the action, laughing outloud and wishing I had more time to read and savor that wonderful book.
Twain is like Bob Dylan--nobody turns a phrase like him. And if he were alive today, I think he'd be blogging up a storm, telling stories that would have us rolling on our sides, and sharing the most erudite, home grown advice around the blogosphere.
Brian Clark at CopyBlogger.com illustrates the timelessness of Twain with his post "The Mark Twain Guide To Better Blogging".
A few of Brian's Twain-isms:
“The difference between the right word and almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
Twain knew the power of the right words, and would tell you to take care with the ones you choose. Don’t post to get it done, post something that’s done well.
“Great people make us feel we can become great.”
And great bloggers do the same. Empower your readers—to code better, think differently, or simply choose the right mortgage. Focus on making them the star, and you’ll become a star to them.
“Whenever you find you’re on the side of the majority, it is time to reform.”
If one thing truly makes a blog stand out, it’s a march to a slightly different drummer. It’s not only easier than ever to have a unique voice heard, it’s imperative to have a unique voice to be heard at all. Like the man says, be remarkable!
See the rest of Brian's Twain-isms here. Thanks to Gavin for hooking me up with the post on CopyBlogger.
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