That Was Then, Then is Now

Ending posts can be a pain in the rear. Long before the common public had even heard of a modem, I resented the non-imposed-but-very-real pressure to end my journal entries with a satisfactory snap of wit. Now that I’ve climbed aboard the blog bandwagon with its potentially limitless audience, this pressure has only compounded. But rather than kindling a creative spark with ingenious literary results, this has often led me to embrace mediocrity. In my most motivated of moments, you’ll get the obvious pun. The rest of the time, I’m content to close with an “until then…” or some variant thereof.

In no way do I feign originality by addressing this dilemma. In fact, one of the blogs I regularly read made mention of this somewhat recently. (I’m sorry to admit, I couldn’t find the actual posting—I thought I knew where it was, but apparently I didn’t. Feel free to identify yourself, fellow blogger, and claim your due credit.) This person pointed to an article that suggested the classical conciseness of “The End.”

While this is a none-too-shabby method I myself have employed on at least one occasion, I think we can trim the fat even further. Why not just a simple ellipsis? Once the thoughts we intended to share have freely been cast into cyberspace, why not just trail off with a simple dot dot dot? I realize this is what I have been aiming for with the superfluous, “until then…”. But why add the extra words? They serve no purpose. And a “…” must work because I use it again and again posting comments on others’ blogs. The purpose of eloquently flowing into silence is preserved, but the extra verbiage is avoided.

So expect the ellipses to continue, but say goodbye to the “until then”’s. Unless they seem completely necessary, I hereby banish them from this blog. It’s the end of an era, the end of an error, and the welcoming of a new and improved blog. New look, same great taste, etc., etc., etc.…