DORKY: A style of writing, primarily used in self-promotion, which is predictable, boring, boilerplate or just plain blah. See also The Dorky Announcement Letter, The Dorky Business Card and the Dorky Online Profile.
I really really really wanted to post this blog about nine months ago. A quick look at the calendar would tell you that nine months ago was right around the 2009 holiday season. But smarter heads prevailed, and advised that I hold off until a more "neutral" time of year - e.g. the middle or end of summer. Wise heads, my friends have.
Why wait? Because what I'm about to say probably would have hurt a lot of feelings had I posted it during the heat of the season -- because it would have applied to just everyone who read it. Which means, of course, that everyone who reads it today may still be a little hurt, but at least it's not as, um, timely. You'll see what I mean shortly.
Starting around Thanksgiving, the e-greetings start coming out. You know what an e-greeting is, don't you? Basically a seasonal greeting card that is delivered to your email inbox instead of your snail-mail box. Nothing wrong with that.
But the messages in these e-greetings are... well... predictable. Pithy. Sappy, yet meaningless. Boring. DORKY.
Here's an example of a well-intended message I received last year:
May the spirit of the holiday fill your heart with warmth and love. Enjoy this wonderful time with your family and loved ones. It is with gratitude that we say thank you for our friends, our health and another year in our lives.
May you have a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous 2010.
It's only one of several dozen I got just like it; I'm sure you did, too. And don't get me wrong - I appreciate being on so many distribution lists and there's nothing WRONG with sending out a Dorky message, but here's the thing.
It's not memorable.
No matter how beautifully written, no matter how grammatically correct, no matter how gracefully your words flow, those words are forgettable. And therefore (sorry), your well-intentioned greeting will be forgotten.
And we definitely don't want to be forgotten! After all, isn't that the reason we send these greetings out? To be remembered?
How ‘bout something different this year? Something from the heart - YOUR heart that is - something that actually says something you mean; something you might actually say out loud if you were wishing someone you cared about a Happy Holiday.
Here's an example of a e-greeting card I got from one of my readers. I laughed out loud as I read it. I got a clear picture of my reader friend in my mind, and thought of him fondly. It's his voice, his personality. Might not be YOUR voice or YOUR personality and that's fine. But find YOUR voice... and USE that voice with this year's holiday wishes!
I know the standards of writing I've set in the past are causing you right now to eagerly anticipate sage pearls of wisdom from me; carefully selected words expressed in such an articulate, heartfelt fashion with a message so touching and meaningful as to make you pause, look into the deepest recesses of your heart and reflect on the things you should be thankful for in spite of the troubled times we live in. Sentences so eloquently constructed they'll render mental and emotional images that will make you cry (just a little). You'll vividly and fondly remember all the joyful Thanksgivings of years past and look forward with hope and eager anticipation to all the Thanksgivings yet to come.
WELL......
Sorry to tell you - I got nothing!
Just enjoy your time off with family and friends and don't eat too much stuffing.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING
So, open your mind to a new way to say Happy Holidays to the people you care about. YOUR way...
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