For all the new technological means we have developed over the last century, writing is a basic skill that nurtures all other forms of communication.
Radio lawyers and executives will discuss the word spoken and the sound effects cannot be defeated.
Television producers will announce the power of TV and its variety of programming. He will point out how public opinion against the Vietnam War changed when CBS News and other network newscasts turned it into a "living room war."
Cinematographers will argue that there is nothing more powerful than motion pictures - sound, color, drama, and musical crises. Movies are a topic of daily conversation and important weekend activity.
Proponents of the Internet will argue that the Web is the most powerful because it is a contrasting medium, combining written and spoken words with video, audio, and computer-generated imagery. The internet offers it all.
Speakers will naturally cite great speakers such as Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama and point to examples of how they mobilized the masses and changed the course of history with their speeches. ۔
That's quite true. Barack Obama serves as a good example of the validity of my argument. The president always gives his speeches using teleprompters because he is reading the text. The speech is carefully written before proceeding to the lecture and is strictly followed during the delivery. With respect to Mr. Obama's expert delivery and tone, his skills as a speaker will be greatly diminished if not for the word skills of President Obama and his speakers.
We know the same thing about President Reagan, who relied on the rhetoric of Peggy Noonan and others to make powerhouse speeches about the Soviet "evil empire" and its State of the Union speeches. ۔ Neither Martin Luther King Jr. was getting ready on the podium nor Winston Churchill during his historic performances. He carefully penned these speeches, paying close attention to each word, sentence twist, change, and overall structure of the speech. In fact, Winston Churchill also wrote many books and famously said, "History will treat me well because I want to be its author."
Churchill knew that the written word always exists - in its many forms.
Movies - whether classics or dads - begin with the word formation in the mind of the screenwriter or director. An idea takes shape, and then the screenplay must be written. This is the quality of the screenplay which is the main determinant of the fate of the film. Grand pyrotechnics and flashy special effects can be eye-popping, but the exorbitant costs of over-produced films often turn into great failures due to a lack of captivating or enriched storytelling. Yet simple, well-told, low-budget films often flood the box office with greenbacks.
It was The Matrix's brilliant concept and a story arc that made it one of the favorite sci-fi movies of our time, and the lack of storytelling that shattered its sequels before our eyes. All the special effects and no story made The Matrix sequels a sad follow-up.
Think of great TV series like All in the Family, M * A * S * H, Hill Street Blues, and Seinfeld. Their success was due to the quality of the show's authors. A decorated actor is lucky enough to agree with a script that does not offer memorable or prominent lines and characters. (Well, I'll admit that it's not uncommon for a big-name actor to get paid 20 million [or should I call it a bribe?] Ruined.) We miss the actors. For lines. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." "Hasta Lavista, baby." "It's watching you, baby."
Radio personalities Garrison Keller, Rush Limbog, and Howard Stern were not flying from the seats of their pants while the microphone was hot. He was supported in writing because he wanted to make sure he would provide some signature lines during his broadcasts, something memorable that his audience would share with others. Going on air completely without a script is like coming to work without preparation.
Now we are in the age of the internet and websites, blogs, podcasts, video productions, e-zines, and whatnot, more people are writing and reading than ever before in history. A recent, albeit unscientific, survey by The Blog Squad's blogging guru, Dennis Wakeman, found that 70 percent of respondents preferred text-based information to audio or video.
This is not surprising. There is no equivalent to the speed and capacity of a printed word. Just try skimming or "speed reading" a podcast or video. Writing fuels the imagination while video provides all the ingredients and leaves nothing to the imagination.
Who would have thought that kids would be reading the lengthy tomes of the Harry Potter series? You can't copy proximity, stea
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