All the thanks I etcetera

You might not know this about me, but I’m actually bilingual: 

I speak English, and Simpsons Quote.

(Okay, I do know some French but only un petite peu, since apparently most of what I learned in school my brain has discarded in favour of valuable information like, say, the first 10 seasons of The Simpsons*.)

There are many lines throughout The Simpsons that could serve as useful heuristics for writing (both of the “do this” and “don’t do this” variety) but for today I’ll share just one little gem. 

Here’s the setup:

After being thanked for a helpful yet minor offhand comment, Homer responds sagely, “Helping another human being is all the thanks I etcetera.”

Now, here’s your writing tip: 

Don’t skip over the most important part of your own writing: the sincerity. 

Clearly, Homer started off strong but gave up before finishing the job. And he was so close, with only one word to go! (That, paired with the hyperbole of his response, is what makes it so funny.)

And, what makes it extra funny, is that skipping that final word undoes any real attempt at sincerity. 

It’s ridiculous, and it’s a cartoon, but it’s easy to fall into a similar trap when we make a half-hearted attempt in our communications, especially those that are meant to connote care, appreciation, thoughtfulness, or other good intentions.

If you rush to finish your communication without putting some degree of heart or feeling into it, the whole thing can fall flat. This is especially true when it’s something that *should* be meaningful: like a thank you letter, a speech or missive on a serious subject, or some type of bid for connection.

So, next time you’re ready to hit send, pass the card to the next person to sign, or otherwise move a piece of writing forward, pause and ask yourself:

Did I say everything that I really mean to say? 

Will the recipient or reader get from this what I am trying to give them? 

Have I made how much I care about this clear? 

If your answer is yes, great — move it forward. If not, it might be worthy of at least a few more minutes of your time. Maybe a single additional word will even do the trick. ;)

*For my fellow nerdlingers: There is some debate around at which point “Simpsons canon” ends; some argue it ends at season 8 with the appearance of Frank Grimes. For me, things dropped off at season 11 but I think there were still some good episodes in the following few seasons, and today’s quote is from one of them: Hungry, Hungry, Homer, season 12, episode 15, which also gave us “Me so Hungy” and “You know me, occasionally Albe-quirky,” and “I gave that man directions, even though I don’t know the way,” all of which are quips my husband and I say to each other on a disturbingly frequent basis.