Summary

The article "MuddyUm Writers’ Challenge" on Medium humorously reflects on the irony and linguistic peculiarities of the term "reentry," particularly in the context of a writing challenge prompt, while musing on the concepts of exits and reentries in life and writing.

Abstract

The author of the "MuddyUm Writers’ Challenge" piece contemplates the irony of a writing prompt about "reentry" that only allows for a single submission. The essay delves into the linguistic confusion surrounding the word "reentry," questioning its correct usage and the lack of a hyphen, which leads to a humorous exploration of grammar and meaning. The author draws parallels between the awkwardness of the word and personal experiences, including the death of a grandparent and relationship discussions. The narrative touches on the preference for grand exits over entrances, reflecting the author's self-identified tendency to quit and the appeal of dramatic departures. The essay itself mimics the theme of reentry and exit, as the author struggles with concluding the piece, demonstrating a fondness for indecision and ineptitude, which is humorously likened to an elephant drawn by a medieval artist.

Opinions

The author finds the word "reentry" to be awkward and questionable, especially without a hyphen, and humorously suggests it's not a real word.
Grammarly's inconsistent flagging of "reexited," "reexits," "reentered," and "reenters" is used to illustrate the confusion and lack of standardization in the English language.
The author expresses a preference for exits over entrances, valuing the freedom and drama of a well-executed exit compared to the pressure of making a grand entrance.
The essay reflects on the author's personal history of quitting various aspects of life, including jobs, relationships, and writing platforms, and identifies with the concept of "reexiting."
The author playfully criticizes the English language for its inconsistencies and the challenges it presents in writing, particularly when trying to avoid making decisions about word choice.
The piece humorously uses the metaphor of a medieval artist trying to draw an elephant to describe the author's own confusion and the absurdity of trying to make sense of the concept of "reentry."
The author acknowledges that the essay could have ended more effectively but continues writing, thus enacting the very theme of reentry and exit that is being discussed.

MuddyUm Writers’ Challenge

Exits and Reexits

That’s not a word, is it?

This might make sense later. (Photo by Inbetween Architects on Unsplash)

Did anyone else find it ironic that you could only enter one story for the Reentry Writers’ Challenge prompt?

I didn’t enter any, as it happens. I was far too concerned by the word itself.

Reentry.

That doesn’t look right. No hyphen? I couldn’t help but pronounce it reeeeen-tree. Then I did that thing where you look at it so long it loses all meaning, a bit like my grandpa in his last few months, except he was looking at family members.

When he did mercifully make his exit, it was a bit of an anticlimax. Now, if he’d reexited the room, either in ghost, zombie, or red panda form, that would have been something and I might have had a shot at the $60,000 Grand Prize, rather than $6.00.

I kid. I don’t do this for the money. That’s not a moral position; it’s simply a statement of fact. If and when I actually make some money, I will, by definition, be doing it for the money.

Reentering the Reentry Conversation

I digress. I hadn’t finished talking about reentry, just like my girlfriend hadn’t finished when she broached the subject of reentry, but life is anticlimactic, as we’ve established.

To underscore my point that reentry is a shitty word, Grammarly is flagging the words reexited and reexits, but not reentered and reenters.

Make up your mind — either they’re all words, or none of them are. There must be balance in the force; a yang to reentry’s yin.

“For every reentry, there is an equal and opposite reexit.”— Fig Newton’s Third Law

I’m more confused than a medieval artist trying to draw an elephant.

Reexiting the Reentry Conversation

I’ve always preferred exiting to entering, even when entering a prompt about exiting.

Grand entrances are overrated — you’ve set the bar too high and the only way is down. Everyone is now looking at you, waiting for you to do something interesting.

Grand exits, on the other hand? You can burn down as many bridges as you like, mic drop, and walk out of there without looking at the explosion behind you.

Exits also appeal to me because I’m a quitter. I’ve quit jobs, relationships, visas, writing on Quora, writing on Medium, and more side hustles than you can shake a millennial at.

The only time I followed through with something recently was when I trusted a fart too much. Lesson learned.

Reentering the Reexit Conversation

Apart from looking ridiculous, as we’ve established, reexit has a surreptitious, almost embarrassed vibe. It’s an indecisive word — it’s not even sure whether or not it should have a hyphen.

Reexiting suggests something went wrong with the initial withdrawal, you reentered, and you’re slinking away again, tail between your legs, like an elephant drawn by a medieval artist.

I identify enormously with indecision and ineptitude. I gave up writing in UK English here to appeal to a wider demographic, then I gave up writing in US English because I felt like I was pretending to be American, and now I’m just trying to avoid any words that will force me to make a decision.

Dammit, I really am reexit personified.

Exiting This Essay

Look, an elephant!

There’s a lot to unpack here. (Image in public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Reentering This Essay

Ah, crap — that was the perfect point to end things and I had to go and keep writing. My own little self-indulgent encore that noone asked for.

What’s that? Noone is two words? I think noot — noow I have a foondness for coonseecutive voowel soouunds.