26 Give Me Some Meat!
C
larence Darrow was a famous trial lawyer. You have probably
heard of him and his famous Monkey Trial. Or maybe you
saw the one-man show where Henry Fonda portrayed the lawyer.
Darrow was an idol of mine when I was a teenager. I almost be-
came a lawyer due to his inspiring life. That great man once said:
“As long as the world shall last there will be wrongs, and if no
man (or woman) objected and no man (or woman) rebelled, those
wrongs would last forever.”
I object to a practice far too many writers still believe in and use.
I call these particular writers creators of “malnutritious writing.”
These are writers who leave out the vitamins in their writing—the
facts. They feel that a knack for writing is all you need to persuade
readers to listen to them.
These writers are “vegetarians” because their writing lacks meat.
It lacks substance. It lacks credibility. They are so in love with their
phrases that they overlook the need for reality.
There’s an old joke about a writer who applies for a job at an ad-
vertising firm. The employer says, “Your resume consists of lies and
empty statements. You got the job!”
The belief that too many writers still have is that a catchy letter
or cute writing style is all you need. Sorry, Charlie. Readers are