The purposes for writing, or the premise behind a writing is very important for the audience to understand. The subject matter of any material has a why behind it. A reason. What motivated this particular writing? In studying for informational purposes, I generally leave feelings out of it. There is a time for feelings. I take the position that in some cases dealing with non-fiction can go either way, but the subject matter dictates that direction. This does not mean that they cannot be mixed within a particular writing. They can very well be so. Facts and truth are not always the same thing, though I once believed this. Allow me to demonstrate.
There are two men, both became prison inmates. On the surface the outcome is the same. It is indeed a fact that they are both inmates. We could stop there and declare that they are both convicts and leave it at that. But upon further review, if we desire to know the reasons behind why they are convicts, this then is an entirely different matter. One of our convicts was a career criminal from his early adolescent years, who finally racked up enough charges to be put away for a very long time. The second convict had a clean record and was never convicted of any crime. He was wrongfully charged by a witness who said that they saw him commit a crime but there was no real evidence and the truth is that it was not him at all. He was wrongfully convicted of a crime but in the end, he still became a prison inmate. The fact that they are prison inmates is just that. One fact. The entire set of facts demonstrates that they have entirely different backgrounds and there was an entirely different set of circumstances that brought them to the same outcome. One can say that fact and truth is the same when you have all of the pieces of the puzzle. This is true. But the point here is to demonstrate that outer appearances are not always what they seem. So, fact and truth are the same and then they are not. Facts can lose their validity over time. The fact here is the outcome. The outcome holds true. But the truth is also that the second convict is not a criminal. He is a convict by circumstance. This is what is involved in the process of obtaining information by one who desires to show as many sides of a situation as possible as a way to broaden their own views and the views of others.
Emotions are important. Feelings are what makes us human. Those that are close to us and love us are all aware of not only their own feelings but of ours as well. How a person is approached in relation to their feelings is determined by the one doing the approaching, and the approached. Some may regard your feelings, and some may not. I have taken the position that there are things that I am going to tolerate and there are things that I am not going to tolerate. I am sure I am not alone in this. Communicating feelings in a written work is not easy at times. You can give examples by displaying conversation. You can also, in a lengthy or semi-lengthy way, describe your emotions from a particular time. We are what we feel, even if our feelings lack a real context. Feelings are real even if they are not connected to an event that took place in time. Some of us can relive emotions so vividly, that it is as if we are back in that time-frame all over again. I take the position that feelings are private, they belong to you, you share them as you decide. How others respond to feelings can have a positive or negative effect on the issuer of those feelings. Feelings like love are expressed in words and actions which are the only way that that love can be shown to another party that they may begin to understand exactly what your particular love means.
Where is this going? I am here to write about facts more so than feelings. I’m not against writing about feelings. That just isn’t my main goal. I will bring those in from time to time. But my primary focus is to provide information. Information that the user can use at their own disposal. They can chart their own course. Whatever they decide, they decide. But it is or will be they who decide. For many years I sought mentor-ship because I lacked the confidence and experience that I believed would be necessary for the pubic to take me seriously. I knew many things but didn’t have the heart to sit down and place it in a coherent and organized way. That is a display of feeling. Lack of confidence which is due to a lack of past success. Confidence is built off what a person has learned over time that they are capable of. If you are unaware of what you are capable of, how can you be confident in anything? So, I did what I thought necessary to gain confidence. I even tried the fake it until you make it method. It actually does work. But it is my position that there will come a time where you will have to walk up to that bridge railing, fasten the bungee rope around your legs, and jump. After all, life is for the living.
I have become more fact based over the years because I wanted to step out of my emotions, which can cloud at times, and look at the events. Look at the surroundings. Look at the behavior. Know what took place from a play by play. The only way that you can really know what a person thinks is if you step back and watch how they respond to certain stimuli. Analyze. It’s not always what a person says. I would venture off to say that many of us say quite a bit that we don’t mean at times. Sometimes innocently and at other times deliberately. We generally do what we believe unless the environment dictates otherwise. I’ve learned this over time. Of course, a balance is needed. Which is where story writing comes into play. A good story can have a profound impact on people if done correctly. With a desire to balance what I provide, I have concluded that the incorporation of stories will be relevant from time to time.
A Traveler 