Just back from Clicker Expo in Lexington, KY--a wonderful experience. Imagine being in a resort hotel with 400 animal-lovers and 130 well-behaved dogs of all breeds. Imagine classes all day on the latest scientific breakthroughs and refinements in modern animal training. I learned a lot about keeping cues and training loops clean--which coincidentally is what I do in my writing.
As a writer, the reader is my animal. I'm training him or her to create a mental movie, using my words on the page. The words are cues, and I must be very careful to keep them "clean"--not to give the reader unintended or unnecessary signals. Of course, the words are also reinforcers. They should delight and thrill, as well as cue. No wonder writing is so hard sometimes!
As a writer, the reader is my animal. I'm training him or her to create a mental movie, using my words on the page. The words are cues, and I must be very careful to keep them "clean"--not to give the reader unintended or unnecessary signals. Of course, the words are also reinforcers. They should delight and thrill, as well as cue. No wonder writing is so hard sometimes!