Recently, I was listening to someone speak to a group of grade school children and was struck by how many words and phrases the kids likely had no idea of their meaning.
Even if you speak clearly and slowly, a six-year-old will probably not understand the phrase “Take the left fork in the road,” and much less “substitutionary atonement.”
It’s in the same communication category as traveling to another country. Rather than learning the language and culture, speak loudly and slowly, “I NEED TO FIND SOME TOOTHPASTE FOR SENSITIVE TEETH. DO YOU KNOW WHERE I CAN FIND THE NEAREST WALGREENS?”
A few years ago, I reread a best-selling Christian book from the early 1980s and had to chuckle at how many irrelevant examples it had. The Vietnam War, Walter Cronkite said this, Walter Mondale said that, Hawkeye Pierce on M*A*S*H did something funny, etc.
Those examples didn’t age well for anyone after Boomers. Or the 80s.
In fact, most writing doesn’t age well. The language used to communicate relevance to a group of people during a certain period has an “irrelevance timer” started upon publication. Once it counts down to zero, it doesn’t explode; it just stops selling.
It’s one of the reasons so many books have a relatively short shelf life. (Shelf life? What’s that?)
It is also why Bible translations are constantly being updated to reflect new language, as well as changes in grammar and punctuation standards.
Similarly, we wrongfully assume that everyone knows what we are talking about.
A research study done in the 1990s by Christian publishers in cooperation with Christian bookstores in the US asked shoppers about the name recognition of various Christian authors. At that time, the most recognized Christian author was Billy Graham.
And while Dr. Graham was the most recognized among a list of Christian authors, a third of Christian bookstore shoppers had never heard of him. Imagine how that has changed in the last 25-30 years!
Do not automatically assume everyone knows what and who you are talking about in your book.
Anything rooted in popular culture, politics, technology, or entertainment is on a slippery slide toward unrecognizability.
It could be one reason why period fiction, historical nonfiction, biblical exposition, or other types of writing that capture a period or context frozen in time tend to outlast books written for today and not tomorrow.
If you are writing about current-day issues, effective communication gets down to the word and phrase level. Don’t assume everyone knows what certain idioms mean and, for Christian writers, that everyone understands theological terms and differences between various Christian groups.
It’s also recommended that even though you know who Billy Graham is, you might want to give a quick history lesson while referencing him.
I started this post by mentioning communicating effectively (or not) with children. Those who write and communicate effectively for various young age groups have a better grasp of this concept than most. The choice of words matters.
Thinking about reader comprehension more than what you want to write solves much of this problem.
Write to be understood.
Fun with Book Terms
Do not let your words be cloudy,
and in your own pride be full.
What you say, friend, say it loudly,
in words of one strong syllable.
The future’s not your audience,
you’ll have no posterity,
so cut the pompous flatulence
and use life’s context as your key
to open doors to unexpected
vistas for who reads them now.
Let your faith be thus projected
by steadfast hand that mans the flow
to keep the furrow straight and true
in every present thing you do.
Thank you for this timely post, Mr. Balow. Nineteenth-century French novelist, Gustave Flaubert, struggled for days and weeks to find “le mot juste”—the precisely accurate word. As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
I’m sorry we’re in the day of easy-realism. I always enjoyed finding persons and events I had to research.or brush up on. Search engines have made that vastly simpler today.
An outstanding piece . . . Thank you….
Thank you for your helpful insight on cultural language that becomes irrelevant. I love learning about lenses to consider during writing. “Write to be understood.” Yes!
What a groovy post! As Arlo would say, “Bring it on, man!” And don’t forget Dylan “The times they are a changin”. Wait, I need to update. This post is BASED!. (Im actually not sure if that’s correct, so corrections are welcome).
Good morning, Dan. So true, that cultural writing in not timeless. But poetry is timeless. Did Chinese Scholars writing poetry hundreds of years before Christ know that today their works would be treasured? I don’t know. The Japanese man or woman on the verge of death wrote their death poem because they believed that their words would be remembered at least. The writers of our loved hymns still resonate with our soul. Culture aside, poetry is still relevant. Don’t you think?
Really great post. I remember swapping critiques with someone a while back who made countless references to “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer,” in a tone that assumed everyone would understand inside jokes and veiled references. She couldn’t understand why I advised her not to continue on that route.
I write for children, so I totally related to the beginning of your post, Dan. And it is exactly why authors (especially children’s authors) need to spend time with the age group they’re writing for.
Great read. Timely. makes us stop and think about our writing.
Living in Southeast Asia and hearing teaching interpreted into another language made me aware of idioms in a new way. “Fork in the road.” I even learned that saying something is “difficult” is better than saying it is “hard.”
The miracle of Acts chapter 2 is that everyone heard so they could understand. That miracle still happens every day when we’re careful and deliberate. Thanks for your thoughts, Dan.
Wow! Thank you.
So true. I’m learning this as I work with Cecil Murphey. He had to remind me that in my parenting article, not many readers would know about The Brady Bunch. LOL
Thank you, Dan. A very important teaching.