Be Specific By Natalie Goldberg Summary

People wake up every morning without knowing the names of their neighbors, plants, animals, and other objects surrounding them. Which is why in the article “Be specific” by Natalie Goldberg talks about the importance to know the name of people and objects instead of generalizing them. Goldberg states that writers should be specific and know what they are talking about because it will give the reader a clear understanding of what they are reading, it will also give a better description of what the writer is talking about, and it will help the writer to connect with the reader.

Writing the name of the actual object is better than putting the object in a categorical name because it doesn’t have the reader guessing. If the reader knows the name of the object the writer is talking about the reader will exactly what the writer is describing or talking about. Knowing the names of the things around you will help you to be more specific and will give people a better understanding. The reader will know exactly what the writer is

talking about, for example, in the article Goldberg used the example of the word flower instead of using flower write down a specific type of flower. Using specific type of flower like daisy or sunflower will tell the reader what the writer is talking about.
Even though writing down the right name of the object is being specific, it’s not specific enough because everything comes in different color, shapes, size or other characteristics.

It’s important for the reader to imagine the full picture of the object. For example, describing the locations, the colors, shape, and any other characteristics will help the reader will imagine the scene in their head or the scenery. Goldberg uses William Carlos Williams poem “Daisy” as an example to show how he is being specific. In the poem he describes how a daisy looks, the season a daisy grows in, and other details about a daisy. Williams put your imagination and your six senses to work with the poem “Daisy”. For example, Williams uses the description “round yellow center” to describe how the center of the daisy looks. He tries to capture every detail of a daisy in his writing, but he didn’t only describe a daisy; he also describes the location of the

daisy.
If the writer is specific, the reader will understand what the writer is talking about and connect with the writer. If the writer is specific the reader will be aware what the writer is trying to express to them. The reader will also create a feeling toward what the writer is describing, which will create a connection between the readers and writer. For example, if the readers has a connection with what they are reading, it can cause them to feel like they are there living the moment. According to Williams being specific can “penetrate more deeply into the present and being there.” In the poem “Daisy” he uses a lot of verb, adverb and adjectives to create the image of what he is seeing and doing. Goldberg says that knowing the names of things and “being specific takes the blur of our head” and it help use connect and understand as a reader and writer.
Goldberg talks about the importance to know the names of things of your surroundings and how it will help you be more specific and connected. She uses Williams as an example to show the importance as to why a writer should be specific. She talks about the importance to know things names instead of calling them by their category name. Being specific can help people to understand what the writer is trying to say instead of questioning everything the writer is trying to say and how it create imagery.