Cake Wrecks

Another lesson learned: I cannot read Cakewrecks.com at work because I embarrass myself laughing so hard. A friend forwarded me an article about the website, which features photographs and commentary on professionally-decorated cakes that wind up disasters, embarrassments, examples of poor judgment, etc. Not unexpectedly, the cakes that caught my attention were those with grammatical errors and misspellings. One cake, for example, was meant as a going-away cake, and the purchaser's instructions were to write, "Congratulations Suzanne," underneath that write "We'll miss you." What appeared on the cake was

Congratulations, Suzanne
Underneath that write
We'll Miss You

In my effort to improve my writing, I've learned to focus on what information is conveyed and how. And it is not as easy as it looks. Misplaced modifiers, poor word choices, excessive use of passive verbs -- they all can signal downfalls in clarity. In subsequent drafts, I try to "unpack" my language. This doesn't mean endless rambling, but rather loosening compacted wording that is so spartan the reader is left to fill in too many gaps.

When I edit, I liken it to shaking the page and all the unnecessary words flake off and fall to the floor, and what remains on the page is the stuff that has potential. It also requires the most unpacking. Now that I've honed in on what I want to say, I can pay attention to how I say it.

For me, this is like the literal directions for the congratulations cake. I want to make sure my readers can follow my train of thought. That my storytelling has a logical flow. And in its way, proper grammar and punctuation and common courtesy to your reader is like that icing-written instruction "Underneath that write" ... It's just that readers shouldn't see that in your prose, but maybe it can come out as a pleasant flavor in each bite.

Have I pushed this metaphor too far? And given the nature of blogging, this entire piece could use some editing. Maybe my next posting will be a revision of this one, with proper guidelines, clarity, and brevity.

Now, to enjoy some cake.