Murray asks us to consider the idea of writing as autobiography. He argues that all writing is personal to the writer. His general point is that as a writer we utilize and reflect on personal experience and memories in all of our writing. Murray references a great quote from Herman Melville: “It is not down on any map: true places never are.”
Most would say Wikipedia, or any encyclopedia for that matter, should be devoid of autobiography. It should be a place of pure facts and no personal experience, as personal experience tends to lack in neutrality. If I were to apply this to our upcoming work with Wikipedia, I would say to be mindful of personal bias and experience sneaking into our work. Murray’s entire piece is centered around how these facts and experiences end up in our writings whether we intend to include them or not.
I agree that when we begin our writing for Wikipedia that being, "mindful of personal bias and experience" is going to be greatly needed. Without even thinking about it our own personal thoughts, experiences, and opinions are going to slip in and we need to be on a sharp look out so that our writing stays as neutral and unbiased as possible.
ReplyDeleteThat's the same thought process I had. I really liked that bit you quoted. It makes life seem more than just words on a paper. It makes it feel like even a "facts only" encyclopedia has a story behind each entry and has been influenced by the writer. It makes life more interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that our own experiences end up in our writing whether we want it to or not. Most people tend write about something they know.
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