Subtly in Text

The problem I often find myself running into when writing for this blog lies in the conveyance of my message. I will write something, go back and read it and wind up adding multiple qualifiers (that’s what’s up with all the parenthetical statements btw). Even then, I may or may not be satisfied that the article conveys my meaning in such a way that limits its reading to the specific interpretation it was meant for in my head.

Understanding that words “mean things” is only of value if everyone reading them also understands them, and has read their meanings in the same Dictionary you did. Still, English is not nearly as precise a language as some of its predecessors from which it draws it vocabulary.

English has 1 word for love: love.

Greek has 4-5 words for love:
Eros (intimate love),
Philia (brotherly love/ friendship),
Agape (general affection),
Storge (natural affection/ parental love),
Thelema (desire or will).

This lack of precision compounds the problem of clarity in the written word, which can often be overcome in spoken word through such techniques as the application of tone and cadence. Sarcasm springs to mind as a prime example of this. Thusly, written word is subject to further interpretation and as such more susceptible to reader perception- “Perception is Reality”. This can easily result in mixed messages, artificial escalation of tensions, or complete obliviousness to ideas/facts/assumptions.

I usually write in the third person, as Svenn. This allows me the ability to present ideas in a somewhat detached manner, as the idea will then be associated with Svenn, the name, and not necessarily Svenn the person (though obviously Svenn is just an avitar- my name is Josh and I am not a Pally IRL...see, again with the qualifiers! :) Thus Svenn becomes a pseudonym or nom-de-guerre from which objectivity can be drawn while protecting the writer from personal criticism.

That being said, advancing ideas in any medium; written or otherwise is a tiring proposition. Content does not in fact grow on trees. I, Svenn, am wearing out. My interests are too varied to keep The Misadventures “on-topic” most of the time. I tank, I heal, I melt the occasional face….and I write. I love to write. Hopefully, my writing is taken in the same light as my gaming; academic and analytical at its core, impassioned in its conveyance, and cathartic in its execution.