tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56230747868041478.post7691297408702308832..comments2024-03-24T00:16:17.304-07:00Comments on Storming the Ivory Tower: 100%Sam Keeperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00863236889998956170noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56230747868041478.post-27406219446763268592013-02-07T12:09:28.276-08:002013-02-07T12:09:28.276-08:00My pleasure. And I agree, intros are always hard,...My pleasure. And I agree, intros are always hard, especially when its something you care about. It's one thing to say 'write a brief description of what the topic is about,' but it's hard to distill something you have so many thoughts on.<br /><br />My recommendation (and this had become the writing equivalent of 'restart your computer' for generic first-level fixes) is to step away for a while then come back and read what you wrote, probably just the first few sentences. In an article like this, if you can't tell the tone in the first paragraph, you probably risk a disconnect. <br />(Note that does not mean explaining the premise. Heck, most of your articles take about a page to get to that, and still work narratively. What I mean is that the reader should know whether you are teaching, discussing, arguing, asking, telling a story, etc. right at the start, so they're in a good frame of mind.)isaic16https://www.blogger.com/profile/12482945276013434145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56230747868041478.post-59280584486026072192013-02-07T10:04:34.671-08:002013-02-07T10:04:34.671-08:00Yeah, you're probably right. I hate writing ti...Yeah, you're probably right. I hate writing titles, honestly, and I hate trying to find ways to open my articles. It's probably my weakest point. Of the articles that I feel the most regret about, the majority of them I feel are weak either because of the title or the first few opening sentences.<br /><br />So, I think you're definitely on point here about the experience I'm putting forth. Thanks for the input as always, man. Sam Keeperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00863236889998956170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56230747868041478.post-11673052314232615062013-02-07T09:36:06.237-08:002013-02-07T09:36:06.237-08:00Very good article, Keeper. It's definitely so...Very good article, Keeper. It's definitely something I will keep in mind as I read critiques, as well as varying opinions. I'd just like to also bring up a point to consider when analyzing the outcome of the Gnosticism article in questions.<br /><br />I think, at least in the case of your Gnostic article, that the criticism was probably aimed more at the title than the article itself. Clearly, just by a brief skimming of the article, you were very contrite in your opinion, and there's no question that you were open to alternate interpretation. <br /><br />What got people, I believe, was the certainty in the title (using "Why Homestuck is a Gnostic Story" period instead of, for example "Is Homestruck a Gnostic Story?" or "An Interpretation of Gnosticism in Homestruck"). It seemed that it stated, with no ambiguity, that the article intended to show that Homestruck was a Gnostic story, QED. The mindset of the audience, as you have stated here many times, can change the entirety of a work, and I think that your title immediately got people with a different viewpoint into a defensive mindset. People read the article determined to find out why you were wrong, rather than to understand your viewpoint.<br /><br />Note that I am not defending those that criticized your article without accounting for the fact that it was a work of critical interpretation, designed to open discussion. Simply, I am taking something of a critical eye to what was actually written. Perhaps another look can help you find a way to open your ideas to a broader range of people and thinking, without creating a mindset that encourages closed-mindedness. <br /><br />I am both an editor and a diplomat at heart. So, when I see a conflict that arises from what is clearly a misunderstanding based on an incomplete exchange of ideas, I seek to determine where that exchange broke down. This is most clearly present in the concrete opening, compared to the much more understated text.<br /><br />I believe that what you wrote in this article is absolutely true. At least, as I interpret it. I believe that everyone should remember to read all of the text, and should be open to the possibility that their own way is not the only way. However, I think, to some extent, it is also the responsibility of the author to provide the best experience possible for the reader, in order to foster this exchange if ideas. isaic16https://www.blogger.com/profile/12482945276013434145noreply@blogger.com