Never the twain shall meet

"OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet..." (Rudyard Kipling)

I'd additionally argue that "Preaching is preaching, and writing is writing", now being equally certain that these would never meet up.  Seems like they should, as both obviously use words. But, perhaps the similarities end there.

For years, I wrote well.  I edited major projects.  I wrote for a paper.  When my assignments were returned, they had fewer red marks than did the papers of my peers.  I knew all the rules for commas, and could give you the definition for an appositive without even thinking about it. I'd even look down my snobby little nose at people who didn't know the difference between "they're", "their", and "there".

These days I write for the ear, which has entirely different rules.  Commas are thrown in somewhat lacksidaisically in places that I'd pause if I were speaking.  I don't mind "flowery" language because it helps paint pictures.  And I've become amazingly fond of adverbs.

People that have watched me grow into my role as a preacher like to tell me what a difference they see in my sermons.  I've worked on and studied the craft of preaching, just as I once did with the craft of writing.  And I can no longer make a clear, concise, grammatically correct sentence.

Never the twain shall meet indeed...