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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.
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