Writing and Audience | Finding a Point of Middle Ground Between a Stylized Voice and an Audience of Established Standards with Alyssa Mathew
This series aims to raise questions on the ways in which an audience can influence the thoughts and behaviors of a writer. The reader is so much more than the person in line at the bookstore or a pair of eyes staring into a screen; the reader is the writer’s liaison to the purpose of their writing, because the writer is catering to the reader as soon as pen hits paper. This long-forged relationship goes much deeper than what is written on the page…
This installment features a writer from a medical background who regularly perfects a balancing act between following the standards set within her field and preserving her voice.
Aissatou Ndiour: Can you describe your profession and what it entails in terms of writing?
Alyssa Mathew: So, I’m studying to become a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP). Most of the stuff that I write about is research heavy and medical. Most writing in the field revolves around stuttering, discussing the parts of the brain it affects and how a stutter can be managed. A lot of my writing includes medical terminology and is written in the passive voice.
AN: As someone working towards a medical career, what is your relationship with writing?
AM: Personally, because I write for a professional audience, the writing isn’t necessarily as fun as it would be if I were writing narrative fiction or something similar that would come from myself. I have to write in a very clear and direct way, which opposes my personal writing style. My style is very detail oriented and uses a lot of figurative language, which puts pressure on me to change my style into something more acceptable to other SLPs.
AN: In terms of what you mentioned about adapting your writing style, how would you say that medical professionals treat your writing as compared to general readers?
AM: Since I tend to write a lot more than necessary for any kind of writing, either way my audience picks up on my wordiness. A lot of speech professionals who have read my writing like the fact that I use the passive voice throughout my writing and include a lot of medical terminology within my work. Non-speech professionals who read my writing like the figurative language and detail that I use, but they sometimes want me to be more casual in my writing. It’s interesting because I want to write in a casual way, but I’m so used to writing in a professional tone that it’s hard to flip back and forth. Some like my formality, some don’t, but generally most people give constructive criticism on how wordy I tend to be in my writing.
AN: How does your profession view stylized writing in general?
AM: I think it depends on what the purpose is for the stylized writing. It won’t be appreciated in a research study, but there are lots of SLPs who write blogs, or who share their experiences through the Medical SLP Collective. Personal experiences are also highly appreciated in the field, especially since the SLP job market is growing by the year. There are definitely scenarios that view stylized and casual writing as appropriate when it comes to speech professionals communicating with each other.