Consider the Letter Q

My son recently received a high school assignment to write a paper called "Consider the Letter Q." Say what? Each person in the class received a differet topic, but they all sounded bizarre like that. He explained to me the style of report he was to do. You take an item, and you think about it in many ways. For example, the letter Q:

How do you feel about it aesthetically? Is it an attractive letter? Does its look or shape effect how you feel about words that begin with the letter?

How is it used in the English language? Is it used frequently or infrequently?

How is it used in other languages, if at all?

Could it be deleted from our language, how and why?

How does it sound?

You get the idea. The point of the assignment is to analyze something, from all angles, in an organized, intelligent manner. Why am I bringing this to you in a blog post? Because it occurred to me that this method is a good way to do a blog post, or other such writing. Let's say I wanted to write a post about a piece of jewelry. I might give a description that included the type of jewelry, it's length or size, the materials used, and the colors. Is that enough to interest someone in buying the piece?

What if I looked at it from other angles? Who might wear it? At what occasion? Do I have other pieces, like earrings, that might go with the necklace? Did I find any of the materials from an unusual source, such as re-using beads from an old necklace that was my grandmother's? What inspired me to make the piece? What techniques did I use to make the piece?

The answers to these questions make the piece more interesting. It may make someone want to see more pieces. It may make the reader pass the blog post on to a friend they think might find it interesting. You see what I mean.

Next time you make a blog post, consider the letter Q. How can you describe a picture or write a story from some new angles?