Not scent from heaven

Either I have a really sensitive nose or there are an awful lot of people in my neighborhood making use of some really intense chemicals disguised as dryer sheets and "air fresheners."

When I jog, sometimes I feel like gagging as I inhale a big burst of fakey "perfume" that is so strong it burns the inside of my nose. I feel so sorry for the dogs! Can you imagine what it's like for them? Their God-given noses are about a zillion times more sensitive than mine. And these scents are definitely not from heaven.

What does this subject have to do with writing? Well, everything. For one thing, have you ever noticed how important words are in advertising? Take "air fresheners" for example. Now, these things are not fresh. They have nothing whatsoever to do with fresh. If they were named using accurate words, they would be called "things that pollute the air you breathe and then cover it up with a very strong smell." But advertisers don't mind naming things the opposite of what they are if it makes people buy them.

And words are powerful.

Writing it out

I just erased a rant I wrote about how often I hear the phrase "whatever it takes." I gave myself permission to go into a snide commentary about cliched scripts and how tiresome they are, and also how much I love it when someone speaking in public actually uses original phrases.

Somehow hearing certain scripts repeated over and over bothered me enough to feel the need to vent about it. So I wrote out my thoughts and feelings. Then deleted them. I don't know why I feel better having done that, but I do.

Maybe you will too.

Go ahead. Vent. Write it out. No one has to see it but you.

You might learn something from yourself. And chances are good you'll feel better afterward.