“Writing Expresses and Shares Meaning to Be Reconstructed by the Reader” is an article written by Charles Bazerman. In this article Bazerman details how a writer can make their main point far more concisely if they take into account their audience. He addresses the idea that there is often a disconnect between a writer’s personal ideas and what they wish to convey, and the audience. A writer knows how they think on the subject, and sometimes loses the main point of the document trying to convince the audience of their perspective. Bazerman suggests allowing the reader to translate ideas from the text. He uses the example of philosophy. Philosophy by definition is abstract, and complex thought. However when it’s explained in words a child can assimilate, it’s found that they can readily grasp these difficult concepts. The same is for all writing, if you’re using clear and direct language, you won’t need to spell it out for your audience. Instead, as they read the ideas will unfold before them.
This article makes an important distinction of what makes a writing rich with detail, or crowded with it. Bazerman states, “While a writer’s meaning arises out of the expression of internal thought, the meanings attributed by a reader arise out of the objects, experiences, and words available to that reader.” This quote encapsulates the entire premise of this essay. Every person has their own history, and reasoning for why they think they way they do. All information that humans absorb runs through filters of personal experience. However the audience individually interprets the information given to them, decides what they found as “the meaning” in the text. A writer can only say so much, it’s the reader’s job to digest the material. House plant care comes to mind when thinking about the balance between too much detail and just enough. A plant’s needs are simple: water, sun, air. However anyone who’s owned a plant knows that moderation is key. A plant with too much water or sun can become diseased, or even die. The point, or purpose, in a writing can become overshadowed or lost in too many details. The flipside of that is not enough water, or sun will also lead to disease or even death. Lack of details make the text boring, your audience might find the point and simply not care. But if you find that balance, your plants (and writing) will thrive! I spend a lot of time trying to explain my point of view and exactly why I feel that way. On paper, that tends to get really messy. I get lost in my own thoughts, and attempting to articulate it all into words results in something that typically has no direction and makes no sense. Making this essay extremely pertinent to me. The message I abstracted from this excerpt is this: In writing, and in life, the best rule is Keep It Simple Stupid.
