As a writer, I have always tried to keep at least one goal in mind: to make on paper as close as possible to what I was thinking. I guess one can analogize this situation to an archaeologist translating the Rosetta Stone into English, or even, for you hi-techies out there, converting a computer file from one format to another. In all cases, the goal is the same; it involves the preservation of thought. Don't get me wrong, there are other goals that I keep in mind like following good grammar, using colorful yet appropriate vocabulary, getting a good grade, and sometimes even throwing in a bit of humor. Why the humor? because I believe humor expresses one's humanity, and laughter is after all, as the wise Maya Angelou said at convocation, the universal medicine. .
Yes, letting the audience know that I the author am human, and not some robotic regurgitation of nonsensically complicated vocabulary and syntax, is very important as well. In fact, the previous sentence may ironically be a proof of itself. I was very impressed with the way Dr. Angelou emphasized this aspect of becoming aware of my humanity and the humanity common to us all, regardless of racial, religious, and other distinctions. I knew what she was talking about when she suggested exploring other cultures and their languages, because I had written many things in Spanish class and discovered its surprising similarity to English. I learned that we are more alike than we think. Or as Dr. Angelou put it, "we are more alike than unlike." Therefore, we as writers should remind our audience that such is true. .
Another element that has become a part of communicating my humanity, especially in recent years, is diction. For example, when I was in elementary school, my one and probably only goal at that time was to impress the teacher with an excess of complicated vocabulary. So instead of beginning my stories with "Once upon a time- I probably used something like "And so it fortuitously occurred in an exciting annals of history that .
