Context is everything

It happens to many writers, but how often can it be avoided? A carefully worked text, with errors corrected and stylistic edges tidied, finally sees the light of day. And it is placed next to something that completely changes the intended mood. It might be another text, or an image, or some piece of every-day realia, but the context alters everything.

In texts that are published on paper or on-screen, these text-life-threatening juxtapositional clashes need not occur. The solution may be in the hands of the writer, or it may be down to a copy-editor or advertising sales executive, but the contextual disturbance is one that can be foreseen. With a simple change of vocabulary or a nudge to the layout, it is possible to prevent an unintentionally subversive combination of elements.

If a text is to work as a whole, it should also work within a whole. In other words, a text should be suitable for its context. Without sufficient attention to the surroundings, we risk undermining the integrity of the text itself.

This blog entry was first published at thetextbiz.com.

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