Crutch Week Day Three: Obscurity

Some people write because they enjoy the creativity.

Some people write because they want to connect.

There’s nothing wrong with either of these priorities, but there’s a third option that’s self-defeating. If you’re like most writers, you write because you enjoy it, but you also want to be read. You are, however, unwilling to keep your reader in mind when you write, so you produce text that’s impossible to understand.

Everyone who writes needs to clarify where they stand on this continuum. Do you want to be read? Then you must consider your readers, and obscurity is not your friend. Do you just want to write? That’s great, but if you’re sharing it in public, you are, at least in part, writing to be read.

My mentor used to say most writers treat their readers as enemies. We want our work to be appreciated, but we’re not willing to do the work required to reach the ultimate recipient.

Cambridge defines obscurity as “the state of being not clear and difficult to understand or see: The story is convoluted and opaque, often to the point of total obscurity.” Writing is obscure if it’s opaque to your reader, but if it makes your reader feel, you’re on the right track.

Is it boring to battle obscurity? Sure. Is it inconvenient that your reader wants to understand you? Sometimes, and yet when we give feedback in this workshop, we’re almost always pointing to bits of obscurity. There’s a reason for that: Reading your readers’ minds doesn’t come easily. It’s a skill that you must learn one piece of writing at a time. If you’re a beginner, you almost certainly have an obscurity problem. It’s just how we arrive in this world.

There is no quick and easy solution to this problem. You’ve got to learn your readers’ minds day after day. You’ve got to pick out every bad habit and learn clarity along the way. One day, your reader will stop being your enemy, but you won’t get there until you seek out criticism. Feedback is the most valuable part of this workshop structure, so please use the space for it. I don’t mind what writing you post—your favourite poem… the first paragraph of a novel… a haiku you wrote on your phone… It all has value, but it can only be a learning experience if you post.