Writing Lesson from an unlikely source

[Rick H]

This morning I was looking for a specific phrase from
Theodor Adorno for a class and came across the following
passage:

"The poverty of the sunrise in Richard Strauss' 'Alpine
Symphony' results not only from its banal sequences, but
from its very splendour. For no sunrise, even in mountains,
is pompous, triumphal, imperial; each one is faint and
timorous, like a hope that all may yet be well, and it is
this very unobtrusiveness of the mightiest light that is
moving and over powering." (_Minima Moralia_ #72)

This passage struck me because it highlighted one of the
weaknesses in my writing. I realized that often, when I'm
trying to express a powerful moment in my writing, I don't
let the power of that moment speak for itself. Instead
--not trusting either the moment or the reader-- I
arrogantly attempt to express that moment in a powerful
way. ["What Song Do You Dance To, Dionysus" is a good
example] In most cases, the result is dissapointing. The
fragile moment itself is not allowed to shine through, too
obscured by the attempted splendour of the words. What ends
up really showing itself is not what I'm trying to express,
but rather my ego and, finally, my basic distrust of things.

Looking at it this way has given me some clarity on why some
of the pieces I've written don't work. It's going to be
somewhat painful, but alot of my own writing is going to be
going into the "trash" file over the next couple of days.

--Rick