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"The introduction of many minds into many fields of learning along a broad spectrum keeps alive questions about the accessibility, if not the unity, of knowledge."~~Edward Levi
“The difficulty of literature is not to write, but to write what you mean”~~Robert Louis Stevenson
“Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.”~~C.S. Lewis
“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill.”~~Barbara W. Tuchman
"I don't think anyone ever gets over the surprise of how differently one audience's reaction is from another."~~Dick Cavett
"You're assisting the audience to understand; you're giving them a bridge or an access. And if you don't give them that, if you keep it more abstract, it's almost more pure. It's a cooler thing."~~Jim Henson |
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Consider the following two words as defined by 'dictionary.com.'
ac·ces·si·ble
easy to approach, reach, enter, speak with, or use.
obtainable; attainable: accessible evidence.
open to the influence of
au·di·ence
the persons reached by a book, radio or television broadcast, etc.; public: Some works of music have a wide and varied audience.-opportunity to be heard; chance to speak to or before a person or group; a hearing.
the act of hearing, or attending to, words or sounds.
There are two often over-looked aspects to writing. Audience and accessibility. The audience is to whom you are writing. Are you writing for yourself? Your teacher? Your grandmother? Your child? A government official? Or your best friend. Consider for a moment these varied audiences. Now imagine writing a letter to your best friend about the last few months of your life. What might you say? How might you word it? Would you be likely to send the same letter to your grandmother as one to your best friend? Or your instructor? Or your son?
No, because the audience is different and one would use different wordings to communicate similar thoughts. When we, as writers, toss something we wrote out into the void it is our consideration of the possible and myriad audiences which will have an impact on how well we are able to communicate our thoughts and ideas.
Speaking to (or writing for) fourth graders will involve the use of different words, a different vocabulary than say addressing an audience of fellow writers at a writer's conference. If a medical specialist were addressing a group of fellow doctors discussing the latest advances in bi-luminary affectations on a population devoid of non natural exposure, might you know right off the bat that they are discussing the reactions of folks in polar settings to a full moon or the return of the sun above the horizon?
This brings up another important aspect to writing:accessibility. What are our expectations of our audience? Do we expect them to be able to read with depth or have the ability to read between the lines? What level of vocabulary do we expect them to have? Level of education? Are we expecting them to skim or reread a piece several times? Do we expect them to have a similar ability to that which we might have? Are we asking them to stretch and have to work at understanding something? Are we writing to an audience that has teeth and can gnaw on a piece or are we writing to one that is limited to applesauce and ice cream?
I was brought up in a household that kept a dictionary and encyclopedias on a bookshelf in the bathroom. If I didn't know what a word meant; I was told to 'look it up.' I learned Latin so that I could derive meaning from an unfamiliar word. I learned to have a dictionary handy. A 'car game' on a long trip involved games created from the vocabulary section from 'Reader's Digest. My kids were taught the same way. As are my grandchildren being taught by their mom.
In first grade my eldest daughter had to choose a 'safe' word to be used by anyone picking them up from school. My daughter chose 'parasympathomemetic.' She knew what it was, and both how to spell and pronounce it. Her teacher didn't. In fact, her teacher told her no one else would be able remember it, let alone pronounce it. My daughter's response? "Any one picking me up would!' And she was right. Point being, expectations of an audience and the awareness of what they are able to access are very important.
Accessibility is a two-edged sword. As a writer we may expect our audience to look up an unfamiliar word. We may also find that unfamiliar vocabulary may 'turn them off'--something I was told in a review. I used the word 'lenticular' in a short story recently. It describes a rather unusual cloud formation that resembles something like a flying saucer and is only seen hovering around a mountain peak. The reviewer didn't know the meaning and as I hadn't added it to the dictionary here on site, it had that squiggly red line under it. I simply 'assumed' that if it was an unfamiliar word that a reader would look it up. Silly me. Bad assumption. Or was it?
Given the WDC community, I still think it was a valid assumption. My expectations of our community here are that we are an intelligent, knowledgeable group who, as writers and readers, are not put off, but rather, intrigued by the unknown. Given that the audience here ranges from high school to post doctoral to adult, there is a wide range of vocabulary expectations. Personally, I reach for a dictionary or 'Google' something if I don't know a word or concept.
Life's a learning process. So is writing.
If I know or can look up a correct term for a thing or event, I'm going to use it. No apologies. Being told that the average reader wouldn't know the word and so therefore I shouldn't use it strikes me as wrong. Far better, I think, to expect people to look it up and learn something new in the process--if they are so inclined. As Sir Frances Bacon said in 1597, ipsa scientia potestas est or, in English, 'Knowledge is power.'
Having a piece be accessible is not limited to simply a matter of language used. (Unless you are reading Chaucer!)
Accessibility also involves the reader being able to do what I call 'reading deep.' It is not always simply a matter of reading the words, but taking the time to think about various denotations and connotations of the words used. It is the ability to take various images and ideas and apply them in a way that is new or different. Communication is not necessarily limited to what is on the surface.
Sometimes it is what is not implicitly stated wherein you can find the meaning. It is necessary, at times, to take entire blocks of writing as a whole to gain insight. Or, conversely, to dissect them bit by bit to glean the true essence of what is being communicated so to be able to 'get' the whole message. Think Milton or Donne or Rossetti. A surface reading as opposed to a deeper delve gives vastly different rewards.
Perhaps this is why, as writers, we owe it to both ourselves and our readers to be well read. But that is a whole different newsletter!
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Sometimes an atlas helps along with a dictionary...but well worth the effort!
At other times, we must keep in mind that while the entire world may be aware of an event, that it is necessary to be aware that we must sometimes crawl into the mindset of a writer and for a brief moment be willing to view the world through their eyes. As an American, it wasn't necessary for me in this piece, but for someone from another country, it might, indeed, be necessary.
As in a case where the reader is plunked into a 'strange' land with unusual names, the reader must dispel the unknown and accept the strange world with all its peculiarities.
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A line from the following that is just phenomenal!
"Are there grammatical chips and shavings crowded about your monitor's desktop where you've sculpted with a prudent chisel, the perfect anatomical replica of a Simile's bust?"
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Inquiring minds want to know....
What an image:'dead candlelight'
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And this last because it sparked such a perfectly painted landscape of words.
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It is so nice to get feedback on the newsletters. We editors cast our thoughts off into a void and hope to touch someone, help another, inform or enlighten another writer. If you have a reaction to a newsletter or it touches you in some way, please take a moment and write a response in the place provided! It means so much.
Some responses to observations of a snowy day....
Sticktalker  wrote: Well done is all I can say. I'm betting, however, that you didn't sit down with writing that description of the snow in mind...I'm thinking it just "came" to you as you sat there, batting around a half-dozen possible leads to a "regular" article for the newsletter.
Ah...'regular'...hmmm...well actually, regular for me has no regularity to it! Being as observation is a writer's best friend, I tend to write what I see and observe in the hopes that others will as well!
atwhatcost responded:This was cruel! Yes, we easterners got snow this year - record setting! Eight inches was a good snow, until now. Now it's "a good snow" as in "wish we could get so little." In Philly, we're used to 20 inches, given in 4-5 storms throughout winter. We had 24 inches, before Christmas, 28 inches two weeks ago, followed by 15 three days later. Another foot's coming on Friday. We can drive, afterwards, we just can't park. If I wanted this much snow, I'd live in Michigan? (Seriously - thought you got more snow than we get. lol) Watching pigeons in snow doesn't cut it for relaxing. ;)
You can have all the snow this year! *grin* Been a light year for us Michiganders. Next year let's send it all somewhere else! Meanwhile, Spring is definitely on the bud, shall we say, as the daffodils are teething and there is a complete orchestra of robins tuning up! The snow is down to a few lacings of white and the yard is trying on its spring apparel.
Ruby_MyDear  said: Pain sweet pain. Wonderful for a good fireside story but alas, painful.
ah but we have lots of firewood now!
Erin J. Roberts wrote:I sincerely enjoyed your newsletter. I curled up across from you, enjoyed the coffee and cinnamon roll, and watched the snow fall. It's such a peaceful sight, isn't it? Thank you so much for sharing it with us!
and
NickiD89  said:I saw the downy blanket of pristine snow, punctuated by splashes of red and blue wings. I smelled the crisp, clean air, until the warm cinnamon scent from the oven wafted under my nose. I jumped at the sudden sound of the tree coming down. But most of all, I enjoyed a cup of rich coffee and a great read. Thanks for plunking me down, right in the middle of your world. Bravo!
Thank you for joining me. Good company tis always welcome!
and finally,
DRSmith  -a portion of an email...".. exuding such genuine emotion with powerful, well-chosen, hard working words that one would be hard pressed not to fall within their grasp. I almost looked up myself, expecting to draw a prolonged breath of frigid air that had already numbed my cheeks, now filling my lungs afresh while seeing those contrails as if a celestial canvas was unfolding before our eyes. "
Thank you, my friend. Your response (among others) exemplifies exactly why and how everyday observations can be used to pull a reader into your world and make it real and immediate!
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For Authors: March 24, 2010 Issue [#3634]
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