Keep calm and be like J. K. Rowling

Let me ask you a question. Does the structure of this sentence bother you?

I’ve never seen a man covered in so many wrinkles.

Well, this morning I was writing my novel and everything was going pretty smooth when I realized I had just used the word, “so.”

Is that what bothered you?

Yes? Well, then you are like me. And if it didn’t bother you, then you are lucky. You don’t let the little things get to you.

But I do.

I worked and worked around that sentence. I tried maybe describing the wrinkles.

wrinkles like that of an old tree.

Eh. Maybe. But that’s kind of stupid. Old trees don’t necessarily have more wrinkles.

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Frustrated, I tried dropping the whole sentence. Actually, I was about to hit delete when I had this thought. Do other people use the word “so”? (Yes. I’m not confident enough to do whatever I want. I look to other people. But that’s a whole different topic. Stay focused.)

Alright. Let’s figure this thing out. Amazon! Click on Harry Potter 2 sample. Search inside this book for “so”! Results.

Open mouth in shock. And hold it. Scroll down and down and down. Mouth gets wider. Eyes even wider. Completely speechless. Can’t keep scrolling. Too much scrolling! And done.

Wow. I can’t believe it. There are 154 “so’s”. A lot of them were in the dialogue, but still. I’ve read that book at least 5 times and never stopped to notice any “so’s”! They NEVER bothered me.

SO, the fact that I had been telling myself I could never write even one “so” was me being a bit crazy. Just a little bit.

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I guess the whole point of me even telling you all this is because sometimes we stress over things that we don’t need to. Especially when other people are out there not worrying about those tiny imperfections and finding success. And having a lot more fun in life.

Whether your stress over writing techniques, or on your hair, your clothes, maybe it’s the way you set the table. Maybe if you don’t have the spoon on the right side of the knife you fee like the world will somehow end. You will be seen as the worst table setter of all time!

See what I mean? You start out thinking your being logical, but it quickly mounts to Crazy-town. And lots and lots of stress.

Basically what I’m saying is, be more like J.K. Rowling. (She is after all one of the richest women in the world. Richer than the very Queen of England.) That, and she’s awesome. She really went for her dreams and succeeded. Isn’t that what we all truly want?

Use the word “so” when you have to. (Do NOT use it whenever. It really isn’t a descriptive word.) But sometimes it’s okay. It’s definitely better than stressing yourself out over it. Enjoy writing, or whatever you’re passionately working on in life. Actually, just ENJOY LIFE!