Objectivity and Writing - Or -
How An Author Disappears From View
Rob Parnell
There's a
profound difference between a preacher and a commentator,
a politician and a journalist, a spin doctor and a
critic. And what is that?
One word.
Agenda.
The main
reason why we don't always trust preachers, politicians
and spin doctors is not that they lie - though clearly
they sometimes do - it's just that they generally only
give us one side of the truth. The truth as they see it.
In effect, their agenda dictates the message.
A preacher
will tell you only he has the facts - and you'd better
listen to him or watch out...
A
politician may want you to believe his version of the
state of the economy - so he will deliberately withhold
contrary facts, distort any opposing argument and/or
belittle his detractors - sound familiar?
The modern
spin doctor will point out benefits to seemingly bad
events, or minimize the impact of bad news by diverting
your attention to something else. All very clever - but
is it right?
If we're
paying attention, we should be able to see these people's
agendas at work - and choose to either ignore what they
say, take them with a pinch of salt - or perhaps agree,
because they reflects our own agendas.
But what
about opposing views? Don't they need a fair hearing too?
If we (as
consumers) are to make wise decisions based on the facts,
we surely need to be able to see a situation from all
angles, to appreciate all factors in order to view things
with objectivity. Because only from wise decisions can
our lives be enriched.
As a
writer, and therefore as a purveyor of truth, you need to
be fair and objective. You mustn't hide from the truth,
or try to negate certain facts or play any cheap tricks
with words. Even in fiction.
The way to
do this is to, as far as possible, 'remove' yourself from
the writing. A reader should not be constantly aware that
there is an author trying to tell him something. You do
this by effectively 'hiding' your opinions and your
agendas from the reader.
If you have
a character with a particular agenda, it's important you
have the opposing view outlined somewhere else in your
text. It's not your job to force one view of the world on
to readers. You must gain their trust and you can only do
that by being seen to be objective. Start to preach and
you'll lose the reader, I guarantee it!
A good
piece of writing will be a measured argument. It will
contain both sides of a debate. When you choose a theme
for your story, make sure you're going to show both sides
of the issue. Your eventual story resolution may imply a
certain truth but you should not overtly suggest that it
is the only truth - or that you have some kind of
monopoly on it!
As a
serious writer, it is your job to speak with authority -
to imply that you have a kind of omniscient wisdom - that
you see all, present all but without judgment - and that
you are leaving the ultimate decisions about what's right
and wrong to your reader.
For
example, in an article for a magazine, the best way to
speak with authority is to leave your more extreme
opinions - and your agendas - out of the piece. For
example if you are presenting an article recommending
store items or different products, you can't be seen to
favor just one - you will then be accused of having a
vested interest - or receiving some kick back.
The same
applies to fiction. You cannot be seen to favor one
character's viewpoint to the exclusion of all others.
I guess
what I'm talking about is balance. On a simplistic level,
where you have bad guys, you need heroes. Where there is
evil behavior, you need salvation. Where there is war and
despair, you need hope.
On a
practical level, where you have characters that espouse
extreme views, you need other characters that endorse
contrary views, so that you don't get accused of using
your writing as platform for sermonizing.
As far as
you can, strive for balance in your writing. Whenever you
feel tempted to make an issue of one of your own personal
agendas, think it through - try to imagine and
incorporate the opposing view.
I think
you'll find your writing will be stronger for it.
Of course,
the one exception - where you're 'allowed' to express
biased opinions - is advertising. In fact, it's where all
the rules of good objective writing are often
deliberately broken.
But that's
for another article - to come later no doubt!
