Ask any writer and crafting the manuscript isn’t the hard part. It’s the shorter works in the process–the pitch and synopsis that send chills down an author’s spine. Every word counts. No space for passive verbs. Advice like “write tight” and “When in doubt, cut it out” echo through our tired minds.

Today I’m scheduled to pitch to Love Inspired. I’ve edited, revised, honed, tweaked, and prayed over 100 words. If it garners interest, I move on. If it doesn’t, guess what? I still move on.

Yet as I’ve worked on this, I’ve thought about short notes. Everyone writes them. Whether we’re quick on time or space, we think of the best words to convey our feelings.

Think about it. A text. Post it notes. Reminders. Quick letters to a spouse left on a coffee table. A love note scribbled from steam on a bathroom mirror. An emergency message. A wanted ad. Some of my favorite sitcom episodes are made from the miscommunications those fast writings. The most haunting short story I remember is Hemingway’s six word flash fiction: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

It might be my imagination, but last month I saw a necklace with a small, glass bottle attached. You could detach the bottle and include a message. Of course, that got me thinking. If it were an eco-friendly thing to do, what would I write? What would you say?

Of all the short and sweet notes out there, I realized encouragement is my theme. Most of my texts are encouraging others. It’s what I jot on mirrors. I’d let a random bottle reader know they are so important to God that He wanted them to find the bottle.

Perhaps I think too much, but I really have been paying extra attention to these things. Do you work any harder on short notes to make sure you got it just right?

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