In Charles Bazerman’s “Writing Expresses and Shares Meaning to be Reconstructed by the Reader”, he claims that meaning is how we communicate our thoughts and feelings. Sharing meaning allows the reader to connect to the piece and share information with others. The reader never knows what the writer is thinking so it is important to have a purpose. Bazerman explains that meaning is sometimes left out because the author has fears of how their writing will be received. Writers need to be aware of the needs of the reader so they can best express meaning. The reader can only gather meaning from what is right in front of them whereas the writer might have ideas that didn’t make it into that piece. Bazerman says that meaning does not come from the writing itself but from the mind and imagination of the reader.
Knowing your audience and how you can relate to them personally is a good way to develop your writing. Discovering your target audience is an easy step to getting recognized for your writing. Additionally, if a reader feels connected to your writing on a personal level they are more likely to interpret meaning the way it was intended.
I think that meaning depends entirely on your personal experiences. The only person who truly knows you is yourself. Bazerman says, “While writers can confirm that the written words feel consistent with their state of mind, readers can never read the writer’s mind to confirm they fully share that state of mind” (Bazerman). To me, this means that not one piece of writing has ever been interpreted the same. According to the University of Zurich, “like with fingerprints, no two people have the same brain anatomy.”
So why does it matter that the writer and reader can’t connect their exact meanings? Think about it this way, if everyone agreed with each other all the time no one would be unique or original. It is the difference of opinions that drives a conversation forward. The reader and writer should be able to communicate through meaning in a way that grows that piece of writing.
Not every piece of writing will express your intended meaning. That is why it is important to keep trying and adjusting. Get advice from people who love your writing and people who don’t. Any feedback is helpful when you are trying to express meaning to your audience.
A big crowd surrounds one standalone person.
