My 8th grade English
teacher, Mrs. Jean Curtis, had a wonderful phrase to describe a
certain thing. She would constantly get asked by students “how
long should this paper be”, meaning “for how many pages do I have
to fake interest in this assignment to get a passing grade?”
Her answer was always the same, and I
suspect she got asked some of the time simply to hear her say it.
Her reply was: “It should be as long as a girl's skirt. Long
enough to cover the subject and short enough to keep it interesting.”
I've always thought that a pithy way of
describing the best stopping point for anything. The overall
experience should be sufficient to communicate the central meaning
without cluttering things up with too much material.
One of the hardest things to do on any
project is get to the point where you are done. The next hardest
thing is stopping right there. The line is about the same width as
an electron, and moves faster, so it can be tough to hit. The
difference between a great work and a MasterPiece!!! is half a
brushstroke, three words, or how sharp the chisel is at that moment.
So to those of you struggling with how
to do the beginning and middle of something, don't forget that The
End can be the toughest part.
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