Bite-size Wit

When it comes to pleasures, I'm in two camps.

Tactile pleasures like freshly laundered sheets, the smell of rain on a hot pavement, cupcakes. And intellectual pleasures.

I often joke that I married my husband because he's smarter than me and keeps me on my toes. And it's true. We work together most of the day, and spend an embarrassing amount of time ping-ponging snarky zingers about the economy or challenging each other to remember the exchanges between Deckard and Rachel in Blade Runner ("Is this testing whether or not I am a replicant or a lesbian, Mr. Deckard?").

He'll be going over a financial report with a client, and I'll email him word play on a part of the conversation. I'l be writing a headline for a piece of marketing collateral, and he'll offer a side-splitting alternative.

Like some people need cigarettes or crack, I need witty discourse. And like any true addict, I seek hits throughout the day. Lately, my dealer is twitter.

People who've never used twitter incorrectly assume it's just about literal status updates. As a friend of mine once put it:"Why do I care if you're running to the store or running out of patience at the post office?" I don't think she agreed with my opinion that she's "missing out" on the fun.

While twitter on a very basic level allows us to communicate and keep in touch, the imposed brevity in the form of the 140 character tweet results in some very good writing. You can't ramble, pontificate or otherwise stall getting to the point. You say what you mean. This has wonderful implications, as clear concise thoughts win over unfocused drivel every time.

In addition to being clear and concise, a lot of the people I follow on twitter are incredibly funny, witty and engaging. They're the antidote to intellectual lethargy, and deliver those highs I need to function all day.

If I'm having a hard time writing, I log onto twitter, and someone's waiting with 140 character inspiration. From a comment on last night's Daily Show spoof to Ben Bernanke Haiku, I'm very rarely let down.

Photo from here.

PS. Couldn't I have summed up the above into this twitter-friendly sentence?:

Twitter's 140 character limit challenges us to write more concisely and clearly, and tighter writing is often that which is better/smarter.

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