Translating real life to the written word has always been hard. Writers know this.
It doesn’t matter if you were back in the days before the typewriter was invented, or you’ve come of age in the world of texting and Twitter. You still have to think about an event, and describe it with feeling and vividness. If not, readers don’t relate.
Success is defined by feedback. You hear from people that what you wrote meant something to them -- that they’ve ha d similar experience, or you made them laugh or cry. They emoted because of what you said. All writers should strive for those beacons.
When it comes to communications today and using them to substitute for verbal interactions, we are still limited by words. Writing something doesn’t translate into frowns, grunts, shoulder shrugs or chuckles. We can’t read the body language.
That’s why the use of shortened acronyms have developed to provide the person you communicate with a better perspective on where you are coming from. By typing IMHO (in my humble opinion), you know that person is trying to get a point across without sounding dogmatic. They want you to know they are offering up soft advice, not pushing it in your face.
Smiley faces, and other emoticons serve the same purpose. They’ve been created to help you share emotions. They are not perfect. I’ve certainly found myself scrolling through the 42 laughing/crying faces on my email account to find the perfect one that reflects what I’m thinking, then I close my eyes and pick one when none of them seemed right. It still works out, but all those choices often don’t capture what you want.
That’s why creating your own device for capturing an emotion proves beneficial. On the subject of laughter, for example, there are so many ways you can crack up. It can be a chuckle, guffaw, knee slapper, cause you to cry, or fall on the floor laughing, your side hurting, gasping.
That’s why so many acronyms have already been invented to encompass this range: LMAO (laughing my A off); LOL (laugh out loud); ROFL (rolling on the floor laughing); ROFLMAO (you can figure out the combination). You can just laugh; you can laugh uproariously; you may just be slightly amused.
Because our family loves to laugh, my two brothers and I have created our own sub-language that helps not only describe our sense of laughter, but serves us cathartically. It gives a sense of laughter release. It is the closest to the real thing you’ll find. I’m not sure which of us invented it (I think it was the oldest bro), but we immediately all adopted it, and it has served us well over the years. You too can use it.
Here’s how it goes. Someone writes you an email that makes you laugh. You respond, “afdgpoiagrfdpja[goiqwigg.” Type random keys as fast as you can, as long as you are laughing. This demonstrates you’re going nuts and how long the laughter lasts.
To refine this, hit the “enter” key in the middle:
S:Lksag;lfrigip[[aorig
Agas;gflkgrtekmgs;thlmh
;alrgj;pkfgm;mkhthtwrpoihkutyh/
Aegl;bhmwr;nh /
Whtpm;rwm;trkmh
That shows the laughter continues and continues. You pause and then break down again. By the end of this typing, you are drained.
When you lose it, that’s time to give a long burst: rijtponqwptihkns;intgh;pinhtoith;pqwigportinh;sbfbnepaqiv;qrnaenv;pavns;bvpjqaep[grj;iargnpirgpeagring;ang;pagrnpsirggnpertoihgjpgi;ferptiogjnhpboyt;rgljghsp;wrisgfn;blsjrgsfd;kl. There, now I feel better. Whew.
Try this technique. It will not only seem right, but it will make you feel good.
If your readers don’t understand, explain it to them and suggest they adopt it. Maybe if we get enough people involved, this will become a trend emulated around the world, and we’ll all starting relating and communicating better, laughing along the way.