I just had to show this fax cover letter from Dave Foster Wallace to Harper’s Bazaar magazine. As a writer, or any creator for that matter, your creation is pretty much as fragile as your most precious treasure. Word placement, quirky punctuation, it’s all a personal stamp that shows the writer’s personality, thoughts, and intentions. Many times, things are not used “properly” as according to rules that we learn in school, but that is all part of the creative process, and creators are quite protective of their works.
This letter struck me as hilarious, because he very obviously intended for the work to be presented as it was created, rules be damned, and there would be consequences if they didn’t abide by his wishes (read the last sentence and the footnote for a chuckle – love his signature). It’s frustrating when your original content is modified to fit into some system rule. And it’s why writers are always so heartbroken, when they get that letter from the editor with requested changes that will modify the original creation. Sometimes, words are more than words.
p.s. If you haven’t already, take some time to go through the Letters of Note site. There is a lot of incredible history that looks into the minds of some of the best and brightest. It’s a completely fascinating voyage!
