(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
WriteOn! How Do You Do That? [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-03-06
“If you can describe clearly, without a diagram, the proper way of making a knot, you are a master of the English language.” (unknown)
We all give directions at many times in our lives. Some people do it for a living.
But do we do it well? How many times have you been frustrated by a set of assembly instructions, or a “help” entry for a computer program that was no help at all? Omitted steps, or in the wrong order, assuming foreknowledge not in evidence, or failing to cover the problems an actual user will encounter, are just some of the pitfalls. I once followed directions in sewing what should have been a sideless surcoat and created a cloth Klein bottle instead. Who writes these cookbooks telling you to “salt to taste” at a point when you cannot taste the dish?
Can you give directions to a location, not just refer someone to a mapping app? Telling someone to turn at “the big tree” is really not clear. But some people navigate by compass directions, some by distances and turns, some by landmarks. People who live on the land, not in cities, have completely different approaches to navigation than city dwellers. Polynesian sailors were famously skilled at reading currents, stars, wildlife, and things we don’t really understand.
Challenge: write directions for a procedure you know well, for someone who has never done it. Or: write a scene where your characters have to give or follow directions and something goes awry.
READERS & BOOK LOVERS SERIES SCHEDULE
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/6/2235566/-WriteOn-How-Do-You-Do-That?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
