Weekly Post #8: Getting involved
This week try to focus on how the writer involves the reader. Good narrative pieces (this is not to say all of your readings are narrative pieces) engage the reader on some level. How do your writers do it? Is it the topic? The language? Something about the style?
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Molly Yeh's trademark lack of capitalization tries to involve the reader by getting them to think that they have superior grammatical skills or knowledge than her. After that, she convinces her reader that they are her friend by talking in a casual and expressive way, like ranting about how her feet hurt after wearing shoes other than comfy house shoes, or how walking around New York is enough exercise to balance out a day of laying around watching Netflix in bed and eating a whole pizza by herself. The topic (food) is already one that all humans can relate to due to its level of necessity on a survival level, but she then includes beautiful pictures and new twists on foods that most people are already familiar with. This week, Yeh highlighted her bonfire adventure with her friends in which they had artsy/fancy versions of stereotypical, American campfire foods like hot dogs and s'mores. They had four different kinds of artisan, colorful, dogs and it looked more like an REI or Patagonia photoshoot than an actual bonfire party, so while that was aesthetically pleasing, I did not personally connect with this experience. Yeh also uses playful words, and always has a light tone reminiscent of a child trapped in an adults body or something. While this is fun most of the time, it can get kind of weird the longer i think about it. While she is definitely young (in her 20s), it's just interesting to see the contrast in maturity between different people of the same age. I wonder if she writes with the same personality that she has in person... She definitely connected with me (and likely, a lot of readers) with her "relatable" references to the TV shows she watched this week and her love of ketchup, even when eating fancy Jerusalem bagel dogs at a picture perfect fake bonfire.
Deb Perelman uses a few tactics in her blog to pull the reader in. Something that she does often, and unsurprisingly did in this post, is to use the word "we" to include the reader in her own experiences. She also directly references the reader by calling them "you". This gives the reader the illusion that she is talking to them individually when she is really talking to her larger audience. Also, because it is a food blog, she uses "you" to make it clear that while the reader is reading the recipe/post now, they will soon be the ones who will try to create the delicious meals that Deb has put together. In this particular post about pancakes, Deb says, "Not that anyone asked the details, but this is where I got stuck. Do we serve them with a yogurt sauce? Eh." Here, she is having a conversation with the reader without actually having it which is an extremely effective way to include the reader in the post. In general, Deb is super good at keeping the reader engaged and excited about her posts, while I will give her some credit, much of this has to do with the readers, my, desire to look at yummy food and learn how to make it.
This week I read "Paralyzed Man Drinks Beer by Moving Robotic Arm With His Mind". The article itself was very informative and interesting but what engaged me the most was not the diction, nor the structure, nor the style, it was the title. My process for finding my article of the week is simply returning to a "list of Sydney Lupkin articles on ABC News, sifting through them, and picking an article whose title sounds interesting. My justification for deeming the title the most engaging aspect of the article is that before I even read the article, I was intrigued. It's a phenomena––a fully paralyzed man able to perform the act of drinking a beverage independently. The second I read the title I was determined to know how such a feat was made possible. This engagement was so strong that it persisted throughout the time I read the article, and hugely complimented the article itself in the process.
Right off the bat, Lindsay engaged me in her blog post about strawberry oat crumble bars by starting with a question. Her question to me was, "Can you just not judge me for a second?" As soon as I read this, I instantly became curious, asking "about what?" in my head. Throughout the rest of her post, she directly connects to the reader using her conversational style of writing. She talks directly to the reader using words like, "you guys," "let's," and "us." These words create a relationship between the author and reader, even though the two have never actually met. In addition, Lindsay uses creative license and makes up her own words to help describe her strawberry bars: "The Jammy awesomeness of these bars is big, guys. B-I-G." I liked this sentence because the way it was written is playful and very unique. Throwing out words that readers don't normally see every day, like "Jammy," keeps them on their toes. Her enthesis on the word "big" caught my attention because seeing words intentionally spelled out is not something I am used to seeing, but I liked it because her enthesis on the word "big" allowed me to be able to tell that she was excited by her food, and this made me interested and excited, too.
One of the elements I’ve consistently noticed in David Lebovitz’s blog posts is his ability to easily involve the reader in his writing, and this week’s post on German baking was no different. He uses “our”, “we”, and “you” throughout, directly referring to the reader, even when he’s not describing the process of the recipe. For instance, at one point, instead of saying “I was happy to hear”, he writes “You’ll be happy to hear…”. He also suggests ways that the reader could tweak or change his recipe to fit their own taste. At one point, he mentions a mishap he had trying out a new recipe, which makes him more relatable to the reader even though he is a professional chef. He also makes sure to describe the tastes, smells, and textures of the foods he refers to, trying to involve the reader into the experience of his baking or eating the foods.
Bateszi starts off this post with her "belated new year's resolution" instantly connecting the reader to the subject because I think most of us have a new year's resolution, at least I do. The casual and excited tone of all of her writings always get me interested in what she has to say. She also seems to manage to connect anime to something in real life which also interests me a lot. It makes me think that maybe watching anime isn't such a waste of time, but then again it probably is, but still. She also isn't afraid to talk about topics that I don't think a lot of people tend to talk about. For instance, she talks about how this anime is a story about the harsh reality of being an adult and everything that comes with it: "leaving behind their world of order...high school, for a world of chaos, that of adults and sex." I really like this topic because of how relevant it is starting is become, me being a senior and all. This anime is actually (visually) about demons, which just goes to say that we all have demons inside of us whether we know it or not. Overall, so far I have always enjoyed what she has to say.
Krystal Bick, Blogger for This Time Tomorrow, wrote "Galway Girl" to bring the reader along on her journey through Ireland. Krystal manages to pull me in instantaneously. Krystal uses simplistic language in order to prevent a barrier between her and the reader. The first line reads, "If I had to describe Ireland, I’d probably fail." In making this statement, Krystal introduces a casual tone. This blog post is a conversation piece, not a formal editorial. In addition, throughout this piece Krystal uses descriptive language. This language one again pulls me in, making me feel as If I too, am in Ireland. Krystal lists, " sweeping coastlines, fierce winds that shake you to your bones, rolling green hills," in order to paint a picture for the scene. I am looking forward to reading much more from This Time Tomorrow in the future.
Cathy Reisenwitz always manages to keep the reader involved. She is a very casual writer, with her blog sounding conversational, despite the subject matter often being quite complex. Cathy demonstrates her ability to attain and maintain the reader’s attention in her most recent piece, “Libertarians and lived experience.” She starts off the piece with a captivating first sentence: “There is a woman named Tomi Lahren who is 24 years old, doesn’t read books or even much news, who is making a name for herself on The Blaze as a political pundit attacking Black Lives Matter or Colin Kaepernick.” In this single sentence, Cathy is able to both inexplicably express her negative opinion of Lahren, and entice the reader to learn more about Cathy’s opinions and Lauren's actions. The phrase “there is a woman” is particularly effective in these efforts, as is the listing of Lauren’s controversial background, with both aspects creating an aura of drama. Shortly after, Cathy gives a more direct opinion of Lahren: “I will just note that your lived experience as a 24-year-old white girl probably does not qualify you to speak on Black Lives Matter or Colin Kaepernick.” In this quote, Cathy writes in second person, which almost makes it seem as though the reader is the subject. This is not entirely false, with this sentence Cathy essentially establishes that privileged white people are not able to speak on the behalf of people of color or their issues, which is a direct suggestion to any white readers. Speaking directly to the reader is an extremely effective way of getting their attention, and it certainly worked with me. Throughout the piece, Cathy employs a variety of techniques to grab attention, with shock possibly being the method most frequently use. Towards the middle of the piece, in response to a question asking if enough libertarians support the poor, Cathy states, For Jonathan Blanks, and for myself, the answer is a resounding “Fuck to the no.” This use of a dramatic, profanity ridden phrase is jarring, but also captivating and fun. It adds to the conversational and casual feel of the article, and the blog as a whole, which increases the ease of reading the piece. I look forward to staying engaged with Cathy in the future.
This week’s post involved the reader more than usual. The title itself immediately interacted with me as she says “we” (the full title is "Enough is enough: we’ve reached a tipping point on sexual assault.”) She calls on the reader to take action. The hook of this article involved Valenti describing situations in which women are cat-called/groped/etc, and she phrases her idea that “most times, it’s easier to say nothing” in a way that the reader just goes along with. Her audience seems to be other women (indicated by her use of the second person in situations that those who are perceived as female wold be in). She also asks theoretical questions to the reader and thoughts the reader might be thinking during certain situations i.e.: “Besides, what difference will it make, you think.” The rest of this article is mostly in the third person, but I am already drawn in and still feel like she's talking to me because of the engaging anecdotes in the beginning. Overall, because she uses a more casual tone, I am engaged and treated as her equal. She does not oversimplify or unnecessarily over-explain her ideas, so even though she has an agenda in a sense, I feel like she isn’t just dictating what I need to think. I have the choose to support her.
I don't think I would use the word, "involve," to describe what Catherine Shoard does to connect with her readers, if she even connects with them at all. I believe a better word to describe what Catherine does to readers to be, "inform," or "engage." The two latest articles that Catherine wrote were titled, "Fifty Shades Darker director says virtual reality scenes 'expanded my brain'," and "Puffing pontiff: The Young Pope's Oscar-winning director on Jude Law, sex and cigarettes," and both had one thing in common along with almost every other article Catherine has written within the past few months: evidence. Catherine never fails to add quotes into her articles, whether they are from he people whom she is talking about, or peoples' opinions on the topic. I believe that the reason she uses quotes so much is to validate her opinion, and to provide some sort of basis for her readers to hone in on. By this I mean that because Catherine has quotes, she believes that her readers will reader opinion as fact instead of opinion. This is how I believe she engages her readers. I have caught myself several times reading her articles as fact because of the amount of logos in her work, but then I have step back and remember that I am reading a personal opinion from someone's mind, not necessarily facts.
Brody has a way of attempting to disconnect from the reader even more than other authors I feel. With his use of very complex words and phrases such as “the desire for a cinematic naturalism that would be more than naturalism”. Because of Brody’s nature as a reviewer instead of a persuasive article I believe there is a reason that he decides to keep his reader out of it as his jb is to express an opinion instead of starting an argument. However the word choice he has immediately has the ability to draw at least me far away from starting with a discussion and instead approaching the article as an analytical piece which I believe is his intention. Without a rhetorical question or a sentence that feels like it was designed to provoke thought I am left with a very comprehensible review of the film Moonlight but lacking a connection with the author as a reader.
Kirsten loves to engage the reader in what she is writing about on her blog. Her favorite way to do so is by including pictures that perfectly illustrate what she is talking about and means, and they really add to the overall aesthetic and quality of her blog. Sometimes, she will post a photography album of something she did over the weekend, including over ten photos to allow the reader to really capture the moment. A great example of this is when she went to Paris during her break from work; she took hundreds of pictures of the food, scenery, and people and shared many of them with her readers. Other times, especially when focusing on ballet, she’ll simply add one or two photos representing a ballet or performance she is referencing. Another way she interacts with her readers is by including links in her posts that one can click on and see what she is talking about in context. She has used videos, songs, pictures, articles, and websites to share with the reader what she is talking about and let them in on what she is up to and browsing. Once she was describing a mellow weekend she had right around the fall equinox, and she included a link to a song by fleet foxes to set the mood, a website for the donut shop she visited, a movie she watched, a book she was reading, and a cool way to make tea.
Connelly gets the reader engaged, as he always does, by knowing his audience. He makes subtle references that most outside college football fandom wouldn't understand, but that bring a smile to his audience's faces. The one sentence I wanted to focus on was one he wrote about Washington. He writes; "Washington survives a test, and in a time slot where people east of the Mississippi can see them!". Here, is first referencing the fact that Washington has been knocked by pundits for playing an easy schedule. Finally they had to play a good team in Utah. Next he is referencing the fact that PAC-12 games are often in ridiculously late time slots. Many games that Washington and other west coast teams play don't end until 3 a.m. east coast time. This has the effect of being a nic surprise for fans when they wake up the next morning, but also making sure no big time sports writers see them. I love how Connelly succinctly wraps up multiple references into one sentence and thought that effectively engages the reader.
This week, Caramanica writes a review of Lady Gaga’s newest album, Joanne. Like all his reviews, this piece is accessible in the sense that even someone with no knowledge of the artist would be able to walk away feeling like they have a reasonable understanding of the album and the concepts it explores, even if they haven’t listened to it. What makes me feel especially involved when reading his work is the fact that it is blunt and conversational — Caramanica tends to err on the side of critique rather than praise, something that also adds to the reader’s level of interest. While it is not inherently a narrative, Caramanica creates an engaging narrative out of something like a song or album by setting the context (in this case the artist's history), analyzing the album itself and then contributing his own thoughts.
This week I read Mike Pearl's "So, Are We Going to Talk About Climate Change This Election?" article. I think Pearl engaged the audience right off the bat with the title of the article by simply including the word "we". I think this makes Pearl more one with his audience so that readers will feel like they are having a conversation with him. As usual, Pearl leans on sarcasm and comedy in order to make his writing more lively even when talking about things like climate change and the election. In response to a claim from anonymous Democratic officials that the Clinton campaign would be using Al Gore to address climate change in a way millennials will like, Pearl asks, "Sure, Gore won an Oscar ten years ago for a climate change documentary, but if he couldn't get young people to care about his cable channel (rest in peace, Current TV), how is he going to gin up enthusiasm for a candidate who many young people still aren't excited about?" I think Pearl generally does a good job of connecting fun facts from the past about the people in his articles to the topic at hand and using that to prove a certain point. He did this in a special way by posing the info in a form of a sarcastic rhetorical question, which somehow convinced me even more of his point. Another area where Pearl connects with his audience is toward the end where he inserts a quote from climate change activist Bill McKibben saying, "I have a feeling that just as Sandy finally got climate on the agenda a few days before the 2012 election, Matthew may be enough to remind us that we live on a physical planet." Even though these aren't Pearl's direct words, I think his choice to use this quote about Matthew being a reminder serves as a reminder in itself. With this quote I think he is indirectly reaching out to his audience and alerting them to the issue. It definitely worked on me.
Thomas Duffy seeks to engage the reader through providing social media examples, videos, or pictures that help articulate the point he is trying to make in his articles. For instance, in his article describing the Raiders OT victory this weekend he provided Tweets from other athletes as well as videos of the highlights. This allows the reader to not only engage with the language of the article but also see what actually happened and understand other peoples opinions. I think Thomas Duffy also uses his short sentence structure and concise articles as a way to make sure the reader is not bored or overwhelmed by his writing. Rather than writing one really big article summarizing the large events in sports this week, he will write one article for each one. This makes it far easier to read and really allows the reader to engage with the topics and events they want. It makes the reading experience far better because it gives the reader the option to jump from article to article and subject to subject not feeling as though they have 10 pages to read. This week he wrote a bunch of articles about the Sunday football games but also wrote many articles about the world series and basketball. The variety of short articles and varying subject matters really help engage the reader.
Nicole Puglise's recent post titled, Nasa scientists battle for best Halloween pumpkin with flying UFO and Pac-Man, is her most personable blog yet where she connects and engages with the readers in several ways. She begins the article stating that she is giving advice to the reader, directly addressing her readers which she rarely does. This choice drew me in a different way because I felt like she was speaking directly to me. Throughout the blog she uses humor and puns to lighten the mood and lessen the space between the reader and writer. Puglise uses social media photo as anther technique to interact with the reader and keep the readers attention which I found very effective in capturing my focus and keeping it. Overall, I found her language casual and relatable which was intentional to connect with the reader in a more personable and less professional way.
Quite honestly, Kenneth Chang does not intentionally involve the reader or not involve the reader, he just doesn't do it. All of Chang's articles are science related, and the majority are space related. The article I read was about the mystery of where the moon came from. There are theories that a Mars sized asteroid hit and joined Earth, knocking a piece of the Earth into orbit... or something else happened, nobody knows. Besides the fact that Chang is talking about the moon, and I see the moon pretty often and live in the same universe as it, I really didn't feel all that involved with his writing. Perhaps that is something he needs to work on!
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