Hi, @carolkean :) I guess the ghost of didacticism still haunts the term (the same happens in Spanish). Perhaps "enlightening" is more appropriate and likable :)
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Hi, @carolkean :) I guess the ghost of didacticism still haunts the term (the same happens in Spanish). Perhaps "enlightening" is more appropriate and likable :)
Thank you so much for the kind words, @marlyncabrera. And I'm so glad the tips are useful to you! It means the world to me when someone says that. I love to shed a little light on the mechanics of fiction writing. Together they can help us to excel in what we do.
And I love the conversation about the meaning of the word "didactic." I remember a few times in my MFA program hearing it used in a negative context, but in other contexts I see it used in the dictionary form that @carolkean shared. So, I guess it is all about context.
What is the word in Spanish?
Hi, @jayna :)
...And you're too kind to share these tips.
The adjective in Spanish is "didáctico/didáctica" (the noun, "la/una didáctica")
When your explanation has been careful, provided enough details/examples, avoided ambiguity, etc., so that it's clear you want your readers to learn something and not just to demonstrate you know how to do it, they say it's "didáctico". It is, on the other hand, a negative appreciation for a work of fiction, traditionally for children's lit when it was supposed be good literature only if it was meant to teach and entertain at the same time ("didactismo"). And that's pretty much the issue in Spanish regarding the terms.
I studied children's literature in college, and in fact designed a major around that topic, and yes the word was often used in that context. I'm so glad children's stories have come so far since the old days when every story was used as a "teaching moment!"