| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | open to interpretations) and gaps (things left |
| Learning to write depends largely on how well | | | | unsaid, such as why an aunt rather than the |
| you’ve learned to read. When readers read | | | | mother is caring for the young woman). If the |
| a story, they bring along their own experiences | | | | aunt is referred to as stately’ at one |
| and understanding. The author tries to guide the | | | | point, we should be able to comprehend she is |
| responses, but inevitably each reader will perceive | | | | from a well-off family. |
| it in their own individual way. Ethnic background, | | | | As we read, we keep reevaluating what we have |
| education and life experience all contribute to the | | | | read, pulling the details together to make sense of |
| images they see and their response to the story. | | | | them. It’s a process called consistency |
| As readers, we can and should make an effort to | | | | building. By the dialog and action we will be able to |
| understand what an author seems to be getting | | | | determine which woman is the older. Readers will |
| at. Writers can tell a great deal, but they cannot | | | | see their physical appearances through their |
| and should not tell us everything. They write for | | | | personalities, dialogue and emotion, and their own |
| an audience that they assume will know at least | | | | (readers) experiences. They want to see |
| as much as they do about the topic; and they | | | | themselves or someone they know. They want |
| depend on their critiquing readers to know how to | | | | to put themselves in the writers world. |
| read with a certain, basic skill. Learning to read | | | | Whatever the gaps, careful readers are able to |
| comprehensively and to make reasonable | | | | draw many reasonable inferences about them |
| inferences will pull the reader beyond his own | | | | through the surrounding text if it’s written |
| experience level and he will be better equipped to | | | | well. |
| read with understanding even those works out of | | | | I wrote a simple slice of life’ story that |
| his familiar genre. Read with common sense and | | | | included a car and a young child playing with a ball. |
| make notes. Ask yourself if that gap you noticed | | | | These two things were not relevant to the |
| is important to the story; if not, it isn’t a | | | | theme of embarrassment and obedience. They |
| mistake. It’s indeterminate and the reader | | | | had nothing to do with the -Who? What? When? |
| is free to fill it with his own images. | | | | Where? and Why? rules - still, I was asked by a |
| If a story is written of two women, one younger | | | | reviewer to explain the type of ball being bounced |
| than the other, will their ages matter? Are their | | | | and the color of the car. The inference I drew of |
| physical looks relevant to the story? It completely | | | | the reader was of a young person trained to |
| depends on the context. If the information is | | | | read word-by word, who is growing up in a |
| needed, you should be able to draw it out by | | | | different era than the story was set. |
| making a reasonable inference. If it isn’t | | | | She’s never known the experience of |
| needed it will only add to a piece becoming wordy. | | | | being embarrassed. Again, readers bring their own |
| The younger calls the other Aunt and her | | | | background into the stories they read and the |
| parents are never mentioned. We may wonder | | | | way they respond. |
| where her parents are, but it isn’t | | | | Learning to read comprehensively and learning to |
| necessary to know. We can draw our own | | | | draw reasonable inferences from the text are |
| inferences. They are possibly dead or on a long | | | | basic reading skills that will make reading more |
| trip. It doesn’t matter to the story. | | | | enjoyable for you and for the author |
| Stories include indeterminacies (passages that are | | | | you’re reviewing. |