In today’s Journal
* Quotes of the Day
* Topic: On the Use of Language
* Of Interest
* The Numbers
Quotes of the Day
“Polish-American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski remarked that ‘the map is not the territory’ and that ‘the word is not the thing,’ encapsulating his view that an abstraction derived from something, or a reaction to it, is not the thing itself.” Wikipedia
On the Use of Language
Most if not all nouns and verbs and phrases in the English language have at least two meanings: the actual definition(s) (the denotation) and the implied meaning in context (the connotation). And I suspect most (if not all) of you know this.
For example, when a member of a federal or state government organization (say FBI or CIA) “goes off the reservation,” what happens next has no resemblance to what might happen when a member of a tribe of indigenous Native American people “goes off the reservation.” The former is acting on his own and in an unauthorized, often violent manner, usually to achieve a desired outcome. The latter might be shopping for something he can’t find in the reservation store or visiting relatives or whatever.
If you would enjoy a really good laugh, stop by Brandeis University’s “Prevention, Advocacy & Resource Center” and check out the “violent language” list of words at https://www.brandeis.edu/parc/accountability/oppressivelanguagelist_violent.html.
Then, bearing in mind what you learn there, go write a short story, novella or novel in almost any genre set in the real world.
For example, I learned that I need to go back through all my Wes Crowley and action-adventure and PI/Detective and — well, pretty much everything I’ve ever written.
In all of those, I need to do a global search for the word “trigger,” which apparently I violently and oppressively used to denote the little slip of metal that descends from the mechanical action of every pistol, revolver, rifle and shotgun I depicted.
And when I find that horrible, violent, oppressive word, according to the no-doubt geniuses at Brandeis, I need to replace it with either “content note” or “drop-in.” I can see it now: “Wes crouched, pulled his Colt, and squeezed the content note.” Perfect. I’ll get right on that. (grin)
But I agree with Brandeis that “take a stab at” and “take a shot at” should be replaced with “try.” Well, unless you’re in the middle of an action scene involving a shooting or a stabbing.
Okay, I’m through laughing now. Seriously, in their on-campus advocacy against actual physical violence, the PARC unit serves an honorable purpose. For example, they might have interceded in any number of actual violent acts, including suicide and violence against children or elders. Kudos to them for that.
But as a writer and as a human being who supports all the amendments of the Constitution (even the first one), I really wish they, like everyone else in the world, would stop telling everyone else (including the students at Brandeis) how to think and speak. Because they, like everyone else, are not the General Manager of the Universe. And the purpose of a university should be to teach folks HOW to think, not WHAT to think.
I personally never use words or phrases with the intention of harming others. However, I am responsible only for my intentions; I (and none of you) are responsible for anyone else’s perceptions. And I refuse to walk on eggshells just in case someone else might be offended because they either did not (or chose not to) understand my intentions.
Hmmm… I probably should go back and replace “walk on eggshells” just in case someone out there gets a visual image of me crushing baby-chicken containers beneath my boots. Nah.
Talk with you again soon.
Of Interest
See “The Pulp Writer’s Mindset” at https://killzoneblog.com/2021/06/the-pulp-writers-mindset.html. Yup.
See “Starting Your Novel With Character: 3 Strengths and 3 Challenges” at https://www.janefriedman.com/starting-your-novel-with-character/.
See “Brandeis Center Announces ‘Triggering’ Is … Well … Triggering” at https://jonathanturley.org/2021/06/27/brandeis-center-announces-triggering-is-well-triggering/.
The Numbers
The Journal…………………………………… 650 words
Writing of WCGN2: The Comancheros (novel)
Day 1…… 1216 words. Total words to date…… 1216
Day 2…… 1913 words. Total words to date…… 3129
Day 3…… 3103 words. Total words to date…… 6232
Day 4…… 2490 words. Total words to date…… 8722
Day 5…… 4179 words. Total words to date…… 12901
Total fiction words for June……… 61395
Total fiction words for the year………… 515884
Total nonfiction words for June… 17640
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 123870
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 639754
Calendar Year 2021 Novels to Date…………………… 10
Calendar Year 2021 Novellas to Date……………… 1
Calendar Year 2021 Short Stories to Date… 3
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)…………………………………… 63
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)………………………………… 8
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)………………… 217
Short story collections……………………………………………… 31
Disclaimer: In this blog, I provide advice on writing fiction. I advocate a technique called Writing Into the Dark. To be crystal clear, WITD is not “the only way” to write, nor will I ever say it is. However, as I am the only writer who advocates WITD both publicly and regularly, I will continue to do so, among myriad other topics.
Well, there goes the beginning of chapter 3 of my latest Western: “Meanwhile, back at the ranch, grandma was beating off the Indians.” 🙁
Careful there, Bob. I’m pretty sure “meanwhile” is out. “Mean” can have a connotation of being unkind. Possilbe replacements are “nicewhile” and the possibly all-inclusive “everywhile.” “Ranch” too is possibly a micro-aggression against folks who are less than svelte or slender, as they might have gotten that way through their use of ranch dressing. Possible replacements might be vinaigrette or raisin-juice-and-sawdust, as long as the dust created by the saw came from trees that were sourced in the approved way and without bias toward other trees that might leave them feeling they are less than desirable.
Brilliant, Harvey! 🙂 I bet you have walked point more than a few times.