Writing: Accepting the Truth

“An author – whether novelist, essayist, or poet – should write out of the richest possible mix: a mix that should by all means include a keen awareness of the main forces at play in the world. The writer’s mind is, or should be, a kind of burning lens that bends inward and brings to a white-hot focus a great variety of previously unconnected facts, experiences, and impressions.

“The wider the cone of rays he brings to that focus, the more heat, light, and penetrating power he is likely to generate.”

– Norman Cousins, Writer's Digest, January 1970

As a teacher of composition at a local high school, I subscribed to two essential truths in writing – (1) an “inner truth” – being honest within your own perspective and writing “what you know” and (2) an “outer truth” – being consistent with that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

I understand “the truth” is subjective; however, the facts are not. Facts are concrete, and writers use them as the foundation to build their story. Much of the beauty in writing is in the candor. This sincerity is a hallmark of all writing, but especially pertinent in journalistic composition.

In their book, The Elements of Journalism, Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel identify the essential principles and practices of journalism …

“Journalism’s first obligation is to the truth. Good decision-making depends on people having reliable, accurate facts put in a meaningful context. Journalism does not pursue truth in an absolute or philosophical sense, but in a capacity that is more down to earth.”

All truths – even the laws of science – are subject to revision, but we operate by them in the meantime because they are necessary and they work,” Kovach and Rosenstiel write in the book. Journalism. They understand a writer thus seeks “a practical and functional form of truth.” It is not the truth in the absolute or philosophical or scientific sense but rather a pursuit of “the truths by which we can operate on a day-to-day basis.”

Good writers strive to put the public interest – and the truth – above their own self-interest or assumptions. Thus, to writers, telling the truth is “not just getting facts right”; moreover, they must “affirm moral truths about human existence.” Writing gains power as it affirms this often elusive veracity.

“Needless to say, with such new power comes new obligations. Anyone who writes well but dishonestly will be like a child flipping levers at random on the command console at a missile base. More than ever before, a dishonest but superficially persuasive article or TV essay will have a perhaps unimaginably bad effect.

– Norman Cousins, Writer's Digest, January 1970

As the actual process of writing resembles a Möbius strip, a sense-defying continuous loop of conscious and unconscious activity, any writer of truth trusts his or her words to find an audience, traditionally a group seeking honesty and verification.

Today, unfortunately, that audience has been tainted by a news media and a government entwined in a vicious circle of mutual manipulation, myth-making, and self-interest. Paul H. Weaver, a former political scientist at Harvard University and journalist at Fortune magazine, says in his provocative analysis entitled “News and the Culture of Lying: How Journalism Really Works” …

“The two institutions have become so ensnared in a symbiotic web of lies that the news media are unable to tell the public what is true and the government is unable to govern effectively.”

This entanglement is visible to any observer. While partisan politicians care less about the truth than about their own narcissistic needs, the public feels an obligation to choose which “truth” is more believable. Both conservatives and liberals rely on biased media companies to filter the facts and twist the stories to meet their expectations.

Propaganda predates the written word, and all intelligent and caring humans must deal with sorting out the truth from the lies, but the current indoctrination of division by high-ranking officials is very troubling. Journalist and author I. F. Stone once said, “All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.”

The popular concept of fake news has been defined as “news, stories or hoaxes created to deliberately misinform or deceive readers.” Usually, these stories are created to either influence people’s views, push a political agenda, or cause confusion. A profit motive is often the reason for such deception. Of course now the internet and social media have dramatically changed the ways fake news is created and spread.

This brings me to a simple observation about writing in the 21st century: Facts you don't like are not fake news.

Critical thinking is essential while seeking truth. Research like that of Bente Kalsnes

of the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Oxford University has found “countering fake news addresses the multitude of approaches to detect and combat fake news on different levels, from legal, financial, and technical aspects to individuals’ media and information literacy and new fact-checking services.” Skills of detection increase a person's understanding of the truth.

Still, most people take too little time to think critically as they prefer to match their own beliefs with any proposal of proof – fake or not – from partisan sources. In this apparent fog of dissemination, one thing remains a constant obligation. That is this – a person must accept facts (truth) even in the face of his or her bitter denial. Refusal to receive and give credence to facts only adds to the deceit eroding the noble and common conscience. Likewise, refusal to accept the truth demeans the contribution of any good writer attempting to shed light on the world.

“Shocking writing is like murder: the questions the jury must decide are the questions of motive and intent.”

– E.B. White, winner of the National Medal for Literature
and Presidential Medal of Freedom awards

Defending a Written Position and Writing Truths

I am used to defending my position on the prescription drug health epidemic that continues to devastate families in Scioto County. I believe that fighting drug abuse must be the number one concern here if residents hope to secure a better future. Statistics and numbers are readily available about the growth and the extent of the problem. I have posted these facts in many blog entries, and I am quite sure most Scioto residents already know the bitter truth.

I feel great progress has been made through the work of many dedicated local groups and individuals. So, when I say the problem continues, I do not discount the positive work and the great strides that have been made by those who have come to realize the need for prompt action. I am proud that these folks have answered the call and committed themselves to stopping the epidemic. Sometimes we stir up the populace, and I think that disturbance goes with the mission.

Now that all ten pill mills in the county are gone, some residents assume the work of the drug task force is done. It is not. Opiates, heroin, and other substances still plague our area. Those close to the problem knew taking down the pill mills was not going to solve all the maladies of drug abuse. And, certainly, these people understood much more work had to be accomplished in prevention, intervention, and enforcement.

The initial energy required to first expose the problem, then tackle its main strongholds caused some backlash. After awhile, a number of citizens felt a tide of "negative publicity" was bad and demeaning to the county. They had difficulty facing the truth that drug abuse had been responsible for crippling their once pleasant way of life. Others simply didn't believe doctors, pharmacists, and pain clinics could be so crooked.

Their view was understandable considering that most reports focused entirely on the most sensational aspects of drug abuse, namely destruction and death. Unfortunately, the age of yellow journalism has returned: Gore and violence sells, not straight news. One national broadcast actually labeled Portsmouth as "the town where everyone is addicted." I about choked with disbelief myself when I heard this description of my home.

I remember a local radio station fielding calls for a day to gauge whether another national broadcast on Scioto drug abuse had properly portrayed conditions in the county. The callers responded with mixed feelings and many gave reasons they believed the show had overestimated the extent of the epidemic. More than a few were outraged at the description and film of the county.

In other words, some felt that the directors of the broadcast over dramatized real conditions to get higher viewership while others believed people in Scioto purposely influenced the directors to make it appear as if all hope for a bright future had already been extinguished. I can assure you that no one here knew what the program was going to air and that the film crew spent weeks in Scioto filming content of positive work impacting the problem -- it just wasn't shown in the final cut.

I am still vigorously defending my position on drug abuse these days. I understand the constant reports and reminders begin to have a "broken record" effect after so much has been exposed and debated. I hope the "broken record" can be replaced with a "new recoding" of Phase II. The problem has already been exposed and initially met with strong resistance. Phase II calls for the people to amass and come to grips with creating long-term solutions. The so-called "easy work" is done, and now the county faces the "hard work" of continuing improvement and revitalizing resources. One of the biggest obstacles to this is indifference. Many see Scioto in terms of fragmented communities and remain resistant to putting together a cohesive singular group.

I have been accused of overreacting with strong emotion. Some believe I am too sensitive to the threat of destroying work that has been accomplished. Others simply believe my stance is wrong. Controversy and disagreement are partners to any movement worth joining. Anyone who knows me understands that my reactions are my views, and my opinions do not necessarily reflect the consensus of any group or the consensus of the people. I stand upon my right to express my opinion and to think for myself. I represent a single person's view even within the groups to which I have volunteered my service.

I stand guilty of showing emotion, sometimes being headstrong in my defense of what I believe in,
and occasionally playing "the devil's advocate." I do want people to think for themselves, but I also want people to put their interpretation of how to help solve this problem into use. I am not a threat to your contrary beliefs or to your exercise of them. If I rattle your tree, I am not doing so to steal your fruit. Sometimes I am more interesting in finding out how you react to my strong wind than I am in altering your state of being.

The power of the pen continues to amaze me. I don't think people want to admit it, but too many fear any controversy or opposing view the pen creates. Why? People, in general, do not like to acknowledge that the same words can evoke entirely different connotations and many underlying emotions. I am guilty of being a part of that group at times. Aren't you?

That does not deter me from investigating the truth when I write. In speech, people do this all the time. Speech is enriched by gesture, tone of voice, facial expressions, pause, and the chance for immediate correction and/or clarification. All of these things help a speaker make his meaning clear. Speech offers a lot of freedom of simple expression.

But, the written language is captured on the page in bare letters. It stands alone for all to see, ripe for varied connotations and a multitude of "between the lines" interpretations. No one is there to offer immediate clarification of the written word. I understand considering the audience is very important to a writer.

Some writers, however, believe they are so skilled that they write in terms that cannot be denied. I doubt if these people are foolproof when writing their thoughts. I might call your attention to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights for examples of multiple interpretations that are the very crux of our democracy. Writing, due to its conventions, is prone contain errors that can fog meaning.


I have no problem with writing even though some may misinterpret my meaning. I want to further my communications with those people who don't care for what I write. I want to wake some of them up. I want to tell some of them I do not understand their position. I simply want to begin a discussion with others. I don't care when others disagree with my position because I believe in written discourse and the need to clarify meanings on paper. Anyone who believes he or she possesses complete mastery of written thought does little to gain my respect. I have been taught to write with thorough detail to impart specific meaning, yet I am not egotistic enough to claim perfection of that trait of good writing.

So I (and the students I taught) concentrate on Ken Macrorie's dual obligation to truth. According to Macrorie, an honest writer must be true to the realities of the outside world, the real world around him or her, and to the inside world, his or her own thoughts and feelings derived largely from personal experience. To be false to either produces writing that is not "true."

As a teacher of writing, I always valued student writings that upheld this obligation, even those papers with which I disagreed. I learned that opposition opened my mind to the "real world" of a seventeen or eighteen year old. In addition, I found that offering students the freedom to make mistakes in thought and in interpretation produced fluency: The students were able to sustain their honest truths and not worry about conventions more than supported content.

Over and over, the students modified my thinking and over and over, I modified theirs. I refrained from using words like "wrong" and "bad" to describe their efforts. I allowed them freedom to use all language, even "blue" language in characterization and in accurate development of tone. (I became known as the English teacher who let them write "fuck" if the need be and the situation was accurate.)

Class members became brutally honest at times. We fought through disagreements and learned to love someone's mind-changing opposing viewpoint. The students even carried their new-found writing power into the halls of the school and into the homes of the community. We soon found most of our personal "truths" were vital to understanding the world in which we lived. We learned, together, that writing and revising could go on forever but must it stop to meet weekly assignments. I learned to look for the "great sentence" or the great "paragraph" instead of expecting perfection in a paper.

Oftentimes, I need to write much more than a single piece to make someone understand my position. I think I do that often. In fact, the more I write, the more I believe I have to further explain in Chapter Two, Chapter Three, etc. My words are inadequate at times, and I have learned to accept that failure also, no matter how much illustrative writing I do.

So, hey, just let the old fart express his ideas and keep banging on the keyboard. Please tell me how you disagree, agree, or don't give a hoot about what I say. (Do you have any idea about how false "hoot" is to my mood now? Sorry for the fake tone but I think some are recording every expletive I write these days.) Just like John Lennon, I want us all to live in harmony, love, and peace. I better cut this entry now before it sounds dated in '60s schmaltz.

Write, write, write, write... please! Put your words on paper and see what happens. It's something I do all the time. Get serious or lighten up or just write "u$h7&&gsji#@." I don't care. We can save your marks on paper to reread time and time again, and who knows, maybe you will encourage some thinking. I certainly hope so. I'll keep trying to be honest with those dual truths. All I ask is that you do the same. I like many different kinds of ice cream, but I prefer those natural flavors over imitation. To each his own -- just let everyone develop their own tastes.

The Healthy Blog

As a writer and a retired teacher of writing, the following research comes as no surprise. I fully understand that the personal benefits of blogging may be great. I have preached employing writing as a release, a voyage of personal discovery, and a catharsis for decades.My students will remember that the willful act of composing involves both conscious and unconscious interaction that often leads to new and important understandings, understandings that help people grow in so many ways.

My class texts included Telling Writing by Ken Macrorie. In the book, he urges students to write "truthfully," that is to approach their composition as truthtelling that represents coherence between what they write and what they feel and know to be true. Macrorie says, "If students would write truthfully, they must listen to the world inside (an obligation to experience) as well as that outside (an obligation to society)  for truth is a connection between the things written about, the words used in the writing, and the author's real experience."

Macrorie says students who produce 

authentic writing must trust 

that words will "come to them" 

as they "ride the waves (of their unconscious), 

letting strange and exciting things 

drift up from the bottom." 

Explaining that writers' emotions often come into play in discovering their "second self," Macrorie encourages writers to engage themselves in personal exploration.

He instructs, 

"To be emotional 

is also to be human....

You can find the rhythms 

of your own life 

if you will only let go."

If a scientific perspective of the process of writing appeals more than a simple metaphorical view, read on. Setting out on a journey of writing activates a cluster of neurological pathways.

Neurologist Judy Willis finds, "The construction of conceptual memory networks builds the most valuable neural architecture a brain owner can have. These networks serve as "nets” to catch and hold new input with similar patterns, and 'work' when activated for creative transfer -- use of the information learned in one context for application in a new context." (Judy Willis, "The Brain-Based Benefits of Writing for Math and Science Learning," edutopia.org)

  
Willis explains, "Concept networks are the valuable tools the brain uses in the highest orders of thinking. When the brain seeks to predict the best response, answer, solution to a problem or make a choice, the executive function control networks in the prefrontal cortex send out messages to the memory association areas, such as the hippocampus and memory storing cortex of each hemisphere. These messages activate stored prior knowledge memories that relate to the new situation."

Writing improves problem solving because the more extensive the brain's collection of memory networks, the more successful it will be in activating the best prior knowledge to predict the best responses, answers, and choices for any new situation. And, the greater the links and cross-connections among networks of stored information, the greater a person's access to multiple storage centers of background knowledge to use in response to the new problem or opportunity.

The "New" Blogging Research

A study in the American Psychological Association’s journal Psychological Services found that blogging can help teens improve their self-esteem and enhance friendships. Moreover, the online activity is especially helpful for teens with social anxiety or difficulty making friends and/or relating to the friends they had. (Rick Nauert PhD, "Blogs May Help Teens Reduce Social Stress," Psych Central, January 5 2012)

Researchers believe this use of social networking is especially suitable for teens who spend a vast majority of their time online. According to the researchers, blogging allows teens to freely express themselves and can be an easy method to improve communication among peers.

“Research has shown that writing a personal diary and other forms of expressive writing are a great way to release emotional distress and just feel better,” said the study’s lead author, Meyran Boniel-Nissim, Ph.D., of the University of Haifa, Israel. ("Blogging May Help Teens Dealing with Social Distress," American Psychological Association, January 4 2012)

Investigators discovered that for troubled teens, online documentation and maintaining a blog was more effective in improving self-esteem and relationship development than journaling in a private diary.

Researchers believe the interactivity 

of an open blog 

is key factor 

toward helping teens

reduce their social anxieties.

Positive social behaviors were expressed by bloggers when compared to teens who did nothing and those who wrote private diaries.

Improvements in self-esteem, 

social anxiety 

and emotional distress 

were noted among the bloggers.

Bloggers who were instructed to write specifically about their difficulties and whose blogs were open to comments improved the most. All of these results were consistent at the two-month followup.

Of course, previous studies have confirmed the therapeutic value of journal writing and blogging about personal experiences, thoughts and feelings. Besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism, expressive writing produces many physiological benefits.

Research shows that it (expressive writing)

improves memory and sleep, 

boosts immune cell activity 

and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, 

and even speeds healing after surgery. 

A study in the February issue of the Oncologist reports that cancer patients who engaged in expressive writing just before treatment felt markedly better, mentally and physically, as compared with patients who did not. (Jessica Wapner, "Blogging -- It's Good for You," Scientific American, May 22 2008)

Why would blogging provide even more benefits than journal writing? I believe the answer is that a blog provides an audience, whereas a journal may be writing a person wants to keep strictly personal. The fact that
others will read a blog makes a writer conscious of meeting the needs of an audience in terms of supplying essential subject background and meeting various levels of personal comprehension. Going back to Macrorie's

I have found that audience also makes writers consider purpose. Many times they instill purpose unconsciously provided they supply the reader with adequate detail and facts. As fluency develops, writers find their inner voice driving this purpose or theme; however, upon revision, a writer who has an audience looks for gaps (that always occur) in sequencing and development in order to achieve clarity.

Blogging begs writers to ask this question: "What do you want the reader to do with this understanding you have carved out?" If the writer dredges his subject deeply enough, the answer is usually clear. The capture of words on paper engages introspection, both the writer's understandings and the reader's understandings of any subject. As the writer remains honest with the essential application of dual truth, communication breathes new life into receptive brains.

Another advantage of blogging is that it provides a window for feedback. The audience can relate additional information, clarify points, and beg for continuation through their comments and reactions.

To me, this is the zenith of education: 

developing an arena 

in which people can participate 

without the fear of reprisal 

while exploring their pertinent 

and unique points of view. 

Just about anything worth writing begs greater understanding. In the best learning situation, we all make a commitment to understand. Opening the sensory receptacles -- ears, eyes, mouth, skin, and, yes, even the nose -- to important ideas expands our creative minds.

Some Random Views From Blogs

* In his blog "TechnoBuck," https://www.technobuck.com/, Hector Sanchez says,

"As I was restoring my old posts, I was very impressed, as I could see what was going on in my mind several months ago. It was like playing an old video-cassette movie in the VCR, but for my state of mind at that moment in time. So, that’s why I find very useful to have a personal blog, it helps me put things in perspective and see for myself whether I’m making real progress with my life or not."

* Ryan Cooper in the blog "jitZul," http://jitzul.com/, relates,

"When writing posts for a blog you will often have to do research to best cover the topic you have decided to write about. Through this research you will often learn new things that you may have otherwise never discovered."

* Dr. Ed Pullen, a family physician, http://drpullen.com/, relates,

"My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer more than a year ago. With little time to make phone calls or write letters, I started blogging to keep our friends and family across the U.S. and Europe updated about Kay’s condition.

"To my surprise, I enjoyed writing the posts, and besides being able to articulate my feelings, the creative outlet became therapeutic for me during a difficult time.

"Coping with Kay's illness was trying, but once she went into remission, I thankfully no longer had anything to blog about on that topic. I soon discovered I missed writing, however, and with encouragement from my readers and patients, I started "DrPullen.com - A medical blog for the informed patient" in December 2009.

* Myrko Thum,  AwakeBlogger - "Personal Development and Spirituality," http://www.awakeblogger.com/, states,

"If you write something down it is a different level of commitment to yourself. You can use this fact to your advantage. Let’s face it, sometimes we all could use a small kick in the butt to get us going into the right direction. By using your journal in this way, you will become your own coach. You can really say something to yourself and by writing it into your journal you can put a commitment on yourself. In this way you can literally lead yourself."

* In Reason4Smile, http://www.reason4smile.com/, Robert A Henru contents,

"This (blogging) is particularly useful for the introverts, introverts do complain on how they’re not so good with words, especially when they have to speak. Writing is much more comfortable because we can think without pressure for the right words to say, and also for the opportunity to undo the statements.

"In a way, I started blogging as a channel for my passion to lead and create, passion for information-sharing, yet I’ve been baffled so many times by my limitation, especially the confidence in speaking and relating with people. Blogging in a way has helped me to use and think about putting the right words, sentences and grammars. As I am getting more comfortable with words, as I write, practically I am more comfortable to speak with words, soon the confidence will follow."