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With Christmas just around the corner, memories of childhood flit through my brain. Lately, for instance, I've been recalling how one Christmas Eve, when I was about eight and my sister, Diane, was six, I concocted a strategy to beat her to the presents. I told her, manipulatively, that burglars sometimes come to houses to steal presents. Since I was older, I should go first, so I could protect her.
Early on Christmas morning, I led the way through the pitch dark upstairs of our house. As we started to descend the stairs, the beam from my flashlight landed on a human figure standing in the downstairs hallway. I knocked Diane over on my way back up the stairs.
It turned out that the figure was a life-size cardboard cutout of Santa. My father had somehow acquired it from the local Coca Cola distributor and set it up after Diane and I had gone to bed. So much for the protective big brother!
Thinking about Santa brings to mind that wonderful poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas. Composed circa 1823 by Dr. Clement Moore as he was riding in his sleigh through the streets of Manhattan, it has charmed children and adults for generations.
You may be wondering what this has to do with writing. Well, for one thing, Moore's poem illustrates the power of the written word. It brought St. Nicholas to life for the English-speaking world. In fact, I would argue that this poem is the secret of Santa's success. If Moore had not penned those whimsical words, Santa today might be playing second fiddle to the Easter Bunny.
Why is Moore's poem so powerful? I believe it's largely because of its imagery. Look at the number of vivid word pictures Moore has painted in just the following eight lines:
His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!
Yes, the written word is powerful, and vivid images enhance its power. For more effective writing and speaking, look for opportunities to tell stories and paint pictures.
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