Re: Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there

Subject: Re: Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there
From: Tom Murrell <trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 05:22:00 -0800 (PST)


--- John Posada <JPosada -at- book -dot- com> wrote:
>
> So...how do you train yourself to not assume something without actually
> knowing you are doing it?

First, and this may come as a shock to some people, everyone has their biases,
assumptions, and prejudices. Even you. Even me. We can occasionally recognize them
and even overcome them, but they are always with us. The ones that can really trip
us up are the ones that are so deeply ingrained in us that we hardly recognize that
they exist.

The best way for a writer to deal with the question you pose, John, is to keep the
focus on the audience. What do they know? What do they need to know? Why do they
need to know it? What will the audience assume about your subject? What do they
think they already know?

I don't believe it is ever possible to completely overcome one's own assumptions and
biases. I do believe that the more a writer understands the audience and focuses on
the needs of the audience, the less the writer's own stuff will get in the way.

=====
Tom Murrell
mailto:trmurrell -at- yahoo -dot- com
http://home.columbus.rr.com/murrell/index.html Last Updated 02/26/2003
--God save The United States of America--

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Web Hosting - establish your business online
http://webhosting.yahoo.com

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Order RoboHelp Office X3 by March 14 and receive a $100 mail-in rebate,
plus FREE WebHelp Merge Module and FREE iMarkup Software, for a
total giveaway value of $439! Order today at http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

Help celebrate TECHWR-L's 10th Anniversary starting this month!
Check out the contests at http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/special/contests/
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday TECHWR-L....

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.



References:
Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there: From: John Posada

Previous by Author: Re: Calling a Bug a Bug
Next by Author: RE: Smarter person than me - shifted slightly
Previous by Thread: Re: Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there
Next by Thread: RE: Hearing (or seeing) what isn't there


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads