Comments on: Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject?

By: lynnettereed – Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject?

lynnettereed – Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject? — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:49:58 +0000

[...] Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject? [...]

By: Joy Olson

Joy Olson — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:59:47 +0000

My take is that either extreme is not beneficial to your client. If you know nothing about your subject matter, what good are you to the reader? However, we all know “experts” who can bore others into oblivion with their obsessive, detailed knowledge of their preferred topic.

That’s why the copywriter is so vital. I’ve always viewed myself as the translator between my client and my audience of readers. Neither one understands the other, and that’s where I come in. I hit the hot buttons that draw in the reader, while providing enough product facts to satisfy the client. It’s a delicate dance, but it works!

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A RealEstate System That is Right for You | A Womans Life — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:23:24 +0000

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By: Ernie Schell

Ernie Schell — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:39:12 +0000

One more thought on the subject -

Have you ever read a wide-ranging piece that covers a number of related subjects, one of which (XYZ) you are very knowledgeable about, or know first-hand, and come away saying about the piece, “That was a really impressive job. Although on XYZ s/he was off-the-mark/wrong-headed/clueless, all-it-all it was great!” Of course, that should make you think twice about the rest of the piece, but how often does it? I think we just say “Everyone can’t know everything,” and leave it at that.

By: Ernie Schell

Ernie Schell — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:30:40 +0000

Further thoughts on the subject –
I recently consulted several doctors about a medical issue. One was my GP, and three others were highly trained specialists I know and trust completely. All of them had legitimate interest in the issue, but I got extremely different answers from all of them, and each answer reflected their training, perspective, and background. Applying this to writing about anything, who truly is “knowledgeable” about a topic? Philosophically, this is not a one-dimensional black-gray-white scale, but a rubic’s cube of colors. And to be frank, there are some writers I enjoy whom I want to read writing about anything, and some experts I can’t bear to read. In the end, a good writer is a good writer (allowing for your own taste in the matter, of course!).

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A Little Late June Weekend Link Love : Freelance Writing Jobs — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:41:27 +0000

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By: ‘Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject?’ by Bob Bly

‘Should Writers Lack Knowledge of Their Subject?’ by Bob Bly — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:41:56 +0000

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Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:08:50 +0000

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By: Nicole

Nicole — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:54:46 +0000

I’ve been writing feature articles for a local magazine for 4 years, and in my experience the better articles have, indeed, been the ones I knew the least about going into it. I believe this is the case for several reasons:

1. The less I know, the more curious I am, and the more questions I have. I’m not embarrassed to ask the really basic questions, because I go into the interview with no pretense of expertise about the subject.

2. I think I write more objectively when I’m learning something new, rather than having an opinion or bias from the start.

3. I’m writing to inform an audience that knows little to nothing about the topic; I’m a go-between the expert and the general public. I do the research and interpret the information for my readers. The less I know about the topic, the more I know what questions they are likely to want answered. When you have experience, it’s easy to forget what someone may not know about a subject.

That being said, I do consider myself an expert in interviewing and research. While I may be a novice to the topic, I do have the expertise to get the information and write an informative and interesting article about it.

By: Scott Karambis

Scott Karambis — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:49:03 +0000

It’s obviously a deliberatively provocative claim, so rather than simply say it’s stupid, I’d say it’s reductive. His point seems to be based on notion that we increasingly turn to peers foradvice on a wide range of subjects (from movies to surgery) rather than to so-called experts. But does that make amateur’s better? It probably makes them more accessible, but also generally more middle-brow and obvious. If you tend to like what everyone else like (blockbusters, best-sellers,etc) you’re probably in luck with the amateur. If you don’t or want to try something different or god forbid, learn something new, you’re probably going to be disappointed.