Okay, sure, I am trying to find at least one title for each letter of the alphabet for my Writing Is...
series of articles, and X starts the word X-ray.
But the word really is applicable to writers and the writing process.
X-rays see through the outer shell of the body, the skin, to photograph the bones and organs within.
In terms of writing, the writer looks beyond the surface layer of words and images, propaganda and garbage, to see the guts of the topic.
It is the writer's job to detect, understand, and describe for readers the structure of the topic being written about as well as the functioning of the major parts (the organs) of the topic.
See, the metaphor actually works.
If we think of the x-ray as similar to a sonogram (those machines that can photograph the functioning of an organ, say the heart, as it is beating and then slow the pictures down so the doctor can see the details of the heart's movements), we can see that the writer examines the topic as it is moving, as it exists in real life.
For example, if the writer is describing how to bake a cake from scratch, the writer slows down the machinery so she can examine each movement or each step of the process.
She needs this slowing down so that she can describe the process for the reader in all its detail.
The writing process (or the writer's machinery) allows the writer to conduct this examination close up to find all the details necessary for the reader to know and in the sequence necessary.
We can also use the metaphor with the MRI equipment, which shows slices of the organs.
A writer does a similar analysis of a writing topic by taking the topic apart and examining each part and discovering and writing about its relationship to the whole topic.
This analysis helps to make the topic much more accessible, as examining a small part of something is easier than examining the whole, complex issue all at once.
So, whatever piece of medical equipment you use with the metaphor, you can see that the ability to look below the surface of an issue is a vital ability for the writer, and for medical science as well.
As a writer, you must learn to dig deeply into your topic, learn all you can about it so that you become expert enough to write clearly about your chosen topic.
So think of yourself as an X-ray machine, or CT Scanner, or an MRI scanner.
Or just see yourself as a writer with an incredible ability to observe and record life as it rolls past your view.
series of articles, and X starts the word X-ray.
But the word really is applicable to writers and the writing process.
X-rays see through the outer shell of the body, the skin, to photograph the bones and organs within.
In terms of writing, the writer looks beyond the surface layer of words and images, propaganda and garbage, to see the guts of the topic.
It is the writer's job to detect, understand, and describe for readers the structure of the topic being written about as well as the functioning of the major parts (the organs) of the topic.
See, the metaphor actually works.
If we think of the x-ray as similar to a sonogram (those machines that can photograph the functioning of an organ, say the heart, as it is beating and then slow the pictures down so the doctor can see the details of the heart's movements), we can see that the writer examines the topic as it is moving, as it exists in real life.
For example, if the writer is describing how to bake a cake from scratch, the writer slows down the machinery so she can examine each movement or each step of the process.
She needs this slowing down so that she can describe the process for the reader in all its detail.
The writing process (or the writer's machinery) allows the writer to conduct this examination close up to find all the details necessary for the reader to know and in the sequence necessary.
We can also use the metaphor with the MRI equipment, which shows slices of the organs.
A writer does a similar analysis of a writing topic by taking the topic apart and examining each part and discovering and writing about its relationship to the whole topic.
This analysis helps to make the topic much more accessible, as examining a small part of something is easier than examining the whole, complex issue all at once.
So, whatever piece of medical equipment you use with the metaphor, you can see that the ability to look below the surface of an issue is a vital ability for the writer, and for medical science as well.
As a writer, you must learn to dig deeply into your topic, learn all you can about it so that you become expert enough to write clearly about your chosen topic.
So think of yourself as an X-ray machine, or CT Scanner, or an MRI scanner.
Or just see yourself as a writer with an incredible ability to observe and record life as it rolls past your view.