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How Does a Writer Make a Bridge to the Reader?
Being the editor of the 2020 anthology is the greatest shot I have at building in my career life. Initially, when I started as a writer, I thought I was at the epitome of my career. When I was a young lad, I lived with my authoritative and disciplinarian parents. I did not appreciate that they were so strict because I did not feel comfortable sharing my experiences with them. Also, I did not have the liberty to suggest that they take my siblings and me to visit new places or take road trips. Therefore, I saw the world through my friends’ eyes. I envied how they would explain to me the beautiful sceneries they had experienced in game parks, or in the Disney Amusement Park. Sub-consciously, I developed a very strong imagination, which probed me to express myself through writing. However, when I became a writer I realized my fan base (readers) kept reducing despite my marketing efforts. That was when my publisher requested that I take editing classes. I learned so much about editing, most of which I could not have imagined as a writer. Resultantly, my dreams and aspirations changed slightly. I now desired to be an editor, so that I can help writers communicate best with their readers, and in the process (hopefully) sharpen their readers’ imaginations. I made one sacred vow to myself when I landed this job (editor of the 2020 anthology); I would nurture as many readers as possible and help them see that their ignorance is their only hindrance to achieving their dreams and that knowledge is power. So, to you, my young writer: first, let me clarify that I am referring to you as “mine” because you are a project I would like to see to completion. I have seen your potential, and I desire to help you grow beyond your limitations. The initiative to ask me how you can make it into anthropology indicates you want to be among the best. However, there is one compromise I need you to make; I require that you stop seeing yourself as mediocre. In greatness, there is no room for mediocrity, only excellence; greatness in writing is no exception.
Young writer, to pass my editorial test and be in my anthology, I will require a personal attachment to your written pieces. Authors are human beings, and the only place they get content is through imagination. However, imagination can only be triggered by real events and happenings in a person’s life. I have always thought that is why the written pieces are called ‘essays’, which in French translates into ‘to attempt’. It is an attempt by the author to express what they are imagining and making it so realistic that the readers cannot help getting attached to the story. Before writing an essay, once you decide on the title, it is important to have a quiet time session and reflect on how the topic reflects on their life. Finding a personal angle to any essay increases the ideas’ flow to the mind and makes it easier and more natural to write. For instance, in the introduction of ‘strayed’ the author narrates having written a real-life story about her mother and the terminal illness she was experiencing once she got her writing into context and personalized it (Strayed p 2). Writing is just a narration without imagination, it will be impossible for the readers to get attached to what the author is trying to communicate to them. Therefore, young man, the easiest and most reliable way for you to produce writing with the potential to be chosen among the 26 best essays is by being honest about yourself, nurturing your imagination!
Finding and utilizing a unique but applicable rhetorical square is crucial when writing an appealing piece. First, you need to realize that what is in your image should keep growing in consequent times. Unfortunately, it is not everything in your imagination that you will fall in love with. Instead of expecting your imagination to grow so quickly with very little effort, why not just read published books of accomplished authors like Edward de Bono, author of Lateral Thinking or Neil Gaiman, the author of The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. Such not only sharpens your imagination but also gives you a perspective on how best to utilize your rhetoric (Blum p 2). A rhetorical square helps you determine factors like the voice to use, internalizing your intended audience, and developing a better understanding of the purpose of your writing. Take, for instance, Tim Kreider’s A Man and His Cat; there are times the author in the first person and gives a personal account of his cat and him. He also uses reported speech to emphasize facts about human beings, their pets, and how much they spend on them (Kreider p 151). A personal account helps the readers become more attentive because they are more likely to trust first-hand information. Still, the reported speech is used to detach the emotions and instead educate the reader on facts the author intends on passing along in his writing. Choosing a rhetorical square is important and takes a lot of time to put into consideration. However, to get into my anthology, the rhetorical square is the easiest way to grab my and other readers’ attention to your work. The first step towards getting chosen among the best is by initially getting the reader’s attention!
If you desire to participate in an anthology, you must acknowledge the stakeholders expected to participate in it. Apart from you, the writer, there are editors and the publisher, who also run the show. There are many expectations, but there are also costs involved in the production and sale of books. Despite the book being majorly your brainchild, you will have to share credit and proceeds from the book with them. However, this does not mean that the author is denied all the rights to his book. He is allowed t maintain and reimburse a few copies of the book to sell to his preferred stores or on his social media platforms like Linked In and Facebook. When you do an anthology, you can link to independent bookstores and sell your copy of the books because you are the one entitled to bridge the gap between you and your readers. Furthermore, when writing the book, you have a target audience in mind, and your initial intention of writing the book is the best bridge between you and the readers.
When you choose to become part of my anthology, you commit to becoming a part of the entertainment industry because it is the primary use of such writing. I am sure that you do not have any experience in the entertainment industry, and up to now, you have only cared about being entertained by what you read, hear, or see. You need to look deeper at the intended meanings in every entertainment piece you come across from now onwards. Instead of just playing the audience’s part, you should fit in the entertainers’ shoes so that you can determine how and why the entertainment industry is the way it is. For instance, watching pop culture films like Star Wars will present a new perspective into the fictional world. Most readers find it easiest to connect with content creators on platforms like Tumblr. I believe your success after interaction on such entertainment platforms will help you become a more practical and interesting entertainer. Apart from establishing how best to become an entertainer, a deeper dive into the entertainment industry would help you gain more ideas and increase your imagination, placement and representation levels as a result.
Most importantly, young writer, the best way to achieve excellence in anything is through practice. It is difficult to pursue perfection because perfection is almost impossible; there will always be room for criticism. However, practice makes every writer less imperfect. As a writer, you especially can create a clear connection between what you intend to communicate to the reader with what you write with practice. The resultant clarity and precision are responsible for creating a bridge between you and your readers. It is important that you write and rewrite again. It will be more helpful to join a community of good writers who can help you go through your work every time you write a new piece. Criticism is not a way to bring you down. Even though it mostly involves dwelling on your writing’s negative characteristics, criticism has been created to help you reduce the mistakes you make in your writing. Embrace criticism and include the lessons learned in every consequent piece written. Like wine, your writing will get better with time, which will help you become among the best and be able to join anthology will be among the least of your worries in the future.
You must realize that you are solely responsible for your writing success and other aspects of life activities. Nobody can take full control of what you do and how you achieve your success in writing. However, every journey begins with a single step. The decision to ask for assistance on how to be among the best indicates your enthusiasm and gives you a head start in your race towards excellence. All you need to do now is to boost your confidence. I have already depicted that you are a potential writer, but you need to believe in yourself more if you are going to become a good writer. Take control of your writing life and the successes that come with it, and it will be easier for you to get accepted for the anthology.
Part 2: Meta-cognitive presentation
I think that my letter is succeeding at personally appealing to the young writer. If I had written my letter generally, as though I was addressing many writers at once, it would be more difficult to impact the writer because it would feel more general. In contrast, personalization always has the greatest impact, especially when results are expected from what is being communicated. For instance, when I refer to the young man and not all writers, he will realize that he has been singled out and will embrace the intended message better. It is the best bridge I have created between the reader and myself, and he will learn even more from how I have presented my ideas to him.
Being very personal in my presentation (the letter to the young man) could make him feel like he is being singled out. The authoritative voice I have used to communicate to the young man would catalyze this feeling, and it would most likely make him feel he has unfairly been treated. If I intended to single him out, I could have used a more lenient voice to make him feel more comfortable interacting with me, asking questions to aid his writing development.
I think that the rhetorical square I chose when I wrote the letter has paid off perfectly. Choosing to communicate directly to the intended audience has made the message easier to present. Even when it is not the young man reading the letter, it still carries weight and impacts any reader. The letter is a perfect example of the message it is trying to pass across; it is the best bridge between the readers and the writers. The direct reference to the young man when writing in the first person, without including quotation marks, breaks the English grammar rules. However, the direct reference effect has still yielded fruit and has helped pass the message better to the intended recipient. Also, the direct reference helps the intended reader internalize the content more, but it creates a deeper connection with me when I decide to write in the first person. I connected with my emotions and personalised the message, making the writing better than would be expected.
As young assess the paper, I would like you to pay extra-keen attention to the authenticity of the message I am trying to pass to the writer. It may be just my opinion as to the editor, but I had also done vast research on the same before I wrote anything to the young man. All the advice given to the young man on how to join my anthology is applicable to all areas of writing. Any writer can use the advice given and emerge a good writer because the points communicated are true and authentic. Also, I would like you to consider the critical thinking skills I have utilized in writing to the young man. I have established the best way to appeal to the young man, and any other reader would be through ensuring I have addressed all issues concerning logic and that I have maintained my relevance in the modern world. I have indirectly incorporated the characteristics of good writing and what any writer/ author should expect if they desire to write commercially. Writing may mostly involve the use of imagination which translates into fantasy. Still, writers exist in the real world, and it is easier for them if they realize they have duties and responsibilities in their writing. They are likely to come across many variables in the writing industry.
Works Cited
Blum, Deborah. “The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014.”
pets, Tim. “A Man and His Cat.” New York Times, 2015, pp. 150-155.
Strayed, Cheryl. “The Best AMERICAN ESSAYS 2013.” New York Times, 2013.