I’m grateful for a comment shared by a connection on LinkedIn last year.

She expressed appreciation for writing that was “simple, gracious, and thought-provoking.”

By *simple*, I think she may have meant straight-forward without any grandiose pomposity. (I had to google the meaning of pomposity to make sure it meant what I was thinking.)

I don’t know what my writing will be like, sound like, ten years from now. At present, it’s intended to be straight-forward; “simple”, and that is good enough for me.

I read a lot. Less than some authors I know, and surprisingly more than some others. It’s all very good writing. Some of it sounds grandiose, even if that was not intended. Some of it is arid and scholarly. But most of my reading edifies me and inspires me to try my own.

In the next few hours, I’m going to sit with some thoughts I’ve had for quite some time and attempt to write something simple, gracious, and thought-provoking. I’m excited because this year I’m beginning a writing project with someone who volunteered to work by my side to help the stories move from my imagination to printed words on a page.

It’s not so simple to simply write. But with a little help from a gracious partner, it’s more likely to be.