One of my base rules for writing comes from Grandma. Around age 60 she was acutely conscious that most old folks repeated the same dull story over and over. She declared:
If I can’t say something new, I’m not going to say anything at all.
Salience or silence.
I always try to follow Grandma’s rule here. If I’m saying the same thing everyone else is saying, it’s utterly redundant and not SALIENT. I try to say SALIENT things, not the repetitions that everyone is firmly adapted to.
As I get older the task gets harder. Looking at reprints from 10 years ago, like the previous item, reminds me harshly (heh) that I can’t muster up the same degree of SALIENCE now. I still try to avoid the standard approach to the regular menu, and ideally stick with topics that aren’t on the regular menu.
Polistra's Mill 