A tree is a tree is a tree except when it’s not
Dec 14th, 2008 by TongueUntied
I was reading a recent blog entry at halfwaytonormal about the unintended confusion that comes when writers forget that their readers cannot see what they see, and it got me thinking about perspective. Which led me to think about its opposite. Which I decided was really hard to define without using words such as “one dimensional” or “limited” or “narrow.” Which all seemed to have some kind of judgment of the writer attached to them. Which led me to ponder “values” in writing and whether it is possible to offer guidance on improving writing without discussing writing values.
I decided it isn’t.
At least it isn’t when we are talking about clarity in writing. Writing clearly — which means writing in a way that our readers understand — is, at its core, a matter of empathy. And empathy is a value that writers simply must nurture if they want to excel. The more we are able to consider things from the reader’s perspective, the more successful we are at getting the message through.
Yet, empathy is the very thing that we tend to lose track of in the rush to get OUR point across. The end result is often the exact opposite of what we seek. So, rather than focusing SOLELY on our message, we writers would be well served to take a step back and consider our readers and the assumptions we are making about their perspectives.
One path to deeper reader empathy is to think of words as more than their dictionary definition. While we may all agree with Webster’s definition of a tree — a woody perennial plant having a single usually elongate main stem generally with few or no branches on its lower part — what the word “tree” evokes for each of us is entirely different.
And while the meaning we attach to “tree” is likely heavily informed by our regional perspective, it is also informed by our accumulated experiences. Trees mean something very different to someone born and raised in NYC than they do to someone born and raised in Helena, Mont. in part because trees are experienced differently in those environments.
What this means for us as writers is that the more our readers are “like” us, the more their understanding of something will intersect with ours. In other words, the more similar the writer’s and reader’s experience of a tree, the more likely it is that the reader will be able to “see” that tree from the writer’s perspective. Leaving behind the tree for the moment, consider the idea of shared meaning of words in relation to your family. If I were to write to my sister about “the barn,” a rich, emotional image would be transmitted with that single word. People with intimate bonds share a perspective that allows for vivid communication in very few words.
But readers are not your family (at least not all of them are), and evoking that same level of richness and emotion is a much tougher challenge. A person in Nova Scotia and a person in Kenya may share the same general idea when they read the word “barn,” but the image and emotional response may be very different. Now increase that potential for confusion by the hundreds if not thousands of world views you are attempting to engage when writing for publication — in particular on the Web where your readers will likely not share even your geographic perspective — and you see how the chances for unintended interpretations soar.
It’s enough to make a person crawl under the covers and wait for a new technology that translates every word for every perspective.
But the solution is the exact opposite. Instead of insulating themselves, writers must get out in the world and absorb everything they can about anything they can. Considering other people’s views and experiences offers us the chance to hone our message. As strange as it may sound, a broad perspective begets informed, precise writing.
Widening your world view will make one other thing exceedingly clear: “Show Don’t Tell” is a core writing value for a reason. If you tell me what you want me to see, I have no other choice than to insert my own meanings. If you show me what you want me to see, I may still interpret the image through my personal filters but the image itself will be the one YOU intended.
As Chekhov said, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining, show me moonlight glinting on a piece of broken glass.”