I need a new way to close my letters. For the past year or so, I've been signing my name after "Peace be with you." I liked it, because it reminded me of how Paul signed in on the Pauline Epistles (which I still think is totally cool). However, he doesn't really say "Peace be with you." He says, "Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." A little long-winded for my purposes.
Also, it wasn't until this summer that I realized "Peace be with you" is a common refrain in more orthodox churches. I hadn't realized this until now because I'd never been to those churches until I wrote my story on the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. Now the phrase kinda creeps me out.
I fear my closing has become trite, and that worries me. I aim to be sincere in my messages and hope that's the way I appear. So much can be expressed in a simple closing word. In my quest for the perfect word or phrase, I hope to finally accomplish the task of appearing sincere. Any suggestions are most welcome.
I remind myself of Bradley Chalkers in one of my favorite books, There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. In a final letter to his counselor, Carla, he agonizes over how to sign off. First he writes "Love," and crosses it out. Then he writes the more politically correct, "Yours Truly," and crosses it out. He finally sticks with:
"Love,
Bradley"
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9 comments:
If you want to be sincere, how about:
"Pretensionlessly Yours, Megan"
Haha. Except "Pretensionlessly" isn't a word and I don't belong to anyone I'd be writing a letter to. Next.
Wrong on both counts. It is a word (http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=pretensionless), and if you were writing to God, you're His.
Before I responded to your comment earlier, I checked your word pretensionlessly on m-w.com and it's not a word. Pretensionless is, but I don't think you can make any word you want to into an adverb. Just to double check, I googled pretensionlessly and came up with nothing. Also, the people I usually send letters to are not God and therefore do not own me. Checkmate.
People who don't know how to play chess should not use its terminology! The only rule regarding the creation of adverbs is that nouns can not be so modified. Watch out, your major is showing. And for next time, Google is not an authoritative source on anything scholarly. :^>
I wasn't searching for anything scholarly. I was just searching for your "word." I'm not going to use it. And who brought up chess??? I'm confused.
BTW... my major is NOT English, it's journalism, a field which turns up its nose at adjectives and adverbs. I don't need to be an expert on the rules associated with them.
You said "Checkmate", which is a term used in the game of chess to indicate that the King has no available moves, thereby ending the game.
If journalism turns up its nose at adjectives, why do I read so many in the newspaper and hear so many on TV news?
Ok, back to your closing. How about: "Obstinately Disagreeable, Megan"?
Pretensionfully,
Cliff
Oh, I see. I know what "checkmate" means, but you have a way of ripping me to shreads even when I think I have you cornered. Touche.
Using adjectives and adverbs is considered weak journalism (BTW so is passive voice... see my last sentence for a perfect example :) ). Instead, we use strong verbs to evoke images. Journalism's aim is conciseness and brevity. Adverbs and adjectives take up precious column inches.
You want to talk about obstinate, look in the mirror.
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