Siren Call

This week I read a couple of blogs that brought the value of compromise to mind. The first is on the writing process by Fritz Onion. He makes a point that resonated with me:

“This brings me to my next compromise, which is the process of turning what I want to say into words. Once I have an 'image' of what I want to say in my head, the writing that comes form that image is always a disappointment. I'm not sure why this is, but I can honestly say that I have never written anything that I was completely satisfied with at the time of writing. Interestingly, long after I have written something I will go back and read it and be quite happy with it, but the time during which I am actually writing, it always feels like a compromise and never seems to match my expectation. The story in my head typically feels clear, concise, and compelling, but it never seems to come out quite that way.”

The second is what Don Box describes as the Taligent Effect:

“what happens when a group of people put adherence to a software trend first and lose sight of the value of shipping software that people will actually use.”

Striving for beauty in prose or design is like a siren call that is hard to avoid. For the most part I think we benefit. However, I guess the trick is knowing when the siren, as in the Greek myth, is leading us to project death.