tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post111955574066924869..comments2023-10-12T11:32:27.836-04:00Comments on paulconley: When writing excludesUnknownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07278569290198583553noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post-1119896549290667472005-06-27T14:22:00.000-04:002005-06-27T14:22:00.000-04:00Regarding your comment: "No one wants to go to a c...Regarding your comment: "No one wants to go to a comedy club and hear the same jokes over and over again for decades on end."<BR/><BR/>Strange, but that formula worked for Henny Youngman. And if your readers don't know who Henny Youngman was...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post-1119883698805202582005-06-27T10:48:00.000-04:002005-06-27T10:48:00.000-04:00Hi again,I don't think it's 'writing down" to an a...Hi again,<BR/>I don't think it's 'writing down" to an audience when I try to write to be understood.<BR/>I also think it's a cop-out to say that the audience can "look it up" if what I say isn't clear. That's cheap, lazy writing.<BR/>It's far better to either a)avoid cliches and pop-culture references that aren't widely understood, or b) explain the reference in the copy. For example, "In the Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07278569290198583553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post-1119878562918854002005-06-27T09:22:00.000-04:002005-06-27T09:22:00.000-04:00I cannot agree, Paul. When I find something in an...I cannot agree, Paul. When I find something in an article or book that I do not understand (a word, a reference, even a scientific concept), I go out of my way to look up what the writer is talking about. One can easily do a Google search to get the answer -- and, in the process, one can learn something (even if it is just about a talking tuna in a TV commercial). But then again, I never writeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post-1119828841227637732005-06-26T19:34:00.000-04:002005-06-26T19:34:00.000-04:00Hi Phil,Thanks for your comments. But I think I ne...Hi Phil,<BR/>Thanks for your comments. But I think I need to clarify the point that I and the writer from Poynter are trying to make. Neither of is saying that "one has to avoid certain references because some readers won't get them." Both of us are saying that poor writers often make poor choices in an attempt to be cute. For example, I would argue that the "Sorry, Charlie" reference would be Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07278569290198583553noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9554091.post-1119634843665315162005-06-24T13:40:00.000-04:002005-06-24T13:40:00.000-04:00To borrow a catchphrase which will clearly be lost...To borrow a catchphrase which will clearly be lost on your younger readers: Sorry, Charlie! The notion that one has to avoid certain references because some readers won't get them is preposterous. I expect my readers to be intelligent and I refuse to dumb down my writing. If I make a reference to Bertrand Russell, for example, then there is a good reason why I am citing Bertrand Russell. And Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com