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Как писать нон-фикшн. Расскажите о сложных темах миллионам
Книга посвящается всем, кто работает в жестких условиях современной реальности, где большинство читателей просматривает статью на экране смартфона, пока едет в метро, или берет книгу в руки всего на несколько свободных минут в день. Когда обращаешься к широкой аудитории, контроль над читателем практически невозможен. В стенах университета преподаватель может обязать студентов прочесть книгу, а потом проверить, насколько усвоен материал. Читатель, не скованный учебной программой, обыкновенно тратит лишь несколько секунд своего драгоценного времени, чтобы решить, стоит ли брать вашу книгу с полки (или открывать по ссылке), и бросает чтение, если его не «зацепило» на первой же странице.
Слово — это ваш единственный инструмент и козырь; научитесь использовать его с максимальной отдачей.
Эта книга подойдет вам, если:
Вы хорошо знаете материал. Ваша тема может быть сложной и специфичной, но вы прекрасно в ней разбираетесь.
Вы умеете писать. Можете выстроить фразу и следуете повествованию.
Вам важно достучаться до читателя и поделиться знанием или донести некую мысль. Вы пишете не для того, чтобы блеснуть интеллектом, а для того, чтобы вас поняли и услышали.
Приемы и советы, собранные в этой книге, научат вас излагать материал в занимательной форме, доступной для широких читательских кругов. Иными словами, вы сможете приблизиться к планке, установленной вашими любимыми авторами документальной и научно-популярной прозы.
От автора
Чтобы объяснить, почему книга оставляет сильное впечатление, нужно начать с того, что происходит в процесс чтения. Готовых однозначных ответов у меня нет, зато накопилось множество вопросов. Например:
Почему удачная метафора помогает понять или запомнить материал?
Почему мы так быстро выбиваемся из сил, когда читаем про абстрактные понятия, и как можно облегчить умственную усталость?
Почему некоторые идеи встречают у нас подсознательное сопротивление, и как писателю обойти эти внутренние барьеры?
Эта книга выросла из моих попыток ответить на подобные вопросы. Я познакомилась с новейшими данными когнитивной науки и обратилась к экспертам в таких сферах, как психология, юмор, журналистика и риторика. Все они щедро поделились со мной опытом и советами. Я изучила наиболее удачные работы в жанре документальной и научно-популярной прозы, а также попыталась применить многие рецепты на практике. В этой книге мы поговорим о сложностях, которые неизбежно возникают, когда нужно преподнести материал в доступной и увлекательной форме. Мы обсудим читательский опыт и постараемся понять, за счет чего срабатывают определенные творческие приемы и как можно использовать их в собственной работе.
Для кого эта книга
Для авторов, которым нужно уметь объяснять сложные темы, выходя из привычного, «домашнего» круга коллег и экспертов.
Для всех пишущих людей: писателей, журналистов, копирайтеров, сценаристов, драматургов.
Слово — это ваш единственный инструмент и козырь; научитесь использовать его с максимальной отдачей.
Эта книга подойдет вам, если:
Вы хорошо знаете материал. Ваша тема может быть сложной и специфичной, но вы прекрасно в ней разбираетесь.
Вы умеете писать. Можете выстроить фразу и следуете повествованию.
Вам важно достучаться до читателя и поделиться знанием или донести некую мысль. Вы пишете не для того, чтобы блеснуть интеллектом, а для того, чтобы вас поняли и услышали.
Приемы и советы, собранные в этой книге, научат вас излагать материал в занимательной форме, доступной для широких читательских кругов. Иными словами, вы сможете приблизиться к планке, установленной вашими любимыми авторами документальной и научно-популярной прозы.
От автора
Чтобы объяснить, почему книга оставляет сильное впечатление, нужно начать с того, что происходит в процесс чтения. Готовых однозначных ответов у меня нет, зато накопилось множество вопросов. Например:
Почему удачная метафора помогает понять или запомнить материал?
Почему мы так быстро выбиваемся из сил, когда читаем про абстрактные понятия, и как можно облегчить умственную усталость?
Почему некоторые идеи встречают у нас подсознательное сопротивление, и как писателю обойти эти внутренние барьеры?
Эта книга выросла из моих попыток ответить на подобные вопросы. Я познакомилась с новейшими данными когнитивной науки и обратилась к экспертам в таких сферах, как психология, юмор, журналистика и риторика. Все они щедро поделились со мной опытом и советами. Я изучила наиболее удачные работы в жанре документальной и научно-популярной прозы, а также попыталась применить многие рецепты на практике. В этой книге мы поговорим о сложностях, которые неизбежно возникают, когда нужно преподнести материал в доступной и увлекательной форме. Мы обсудим читательский опыт и постараемся понять, за счет чего срабатывают определенные творческие приемы и как можно использовать их в собственной работе.
Для кого эта книга
Для авторов, которым нужно уметь объяснять сложные темы, выходя из привычного, «домашнего» круга коллег и экспертов.
Для всех пишущих людей: писателей, журналистов, копирайтеров, сценаристов, драматургов.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2018
375 people are currently reading
581 people want to read
About the author
Anne H. Janzer
6 books125 followersAnne Janzer is a writer, author, and business writing coach with a background in business and marketing.
She loves talking with writers about the process of writing, and is fascinated by cognitive science.
She loves talking with writers about the process of writing, and is fascinated by cognitive science.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
November 30, 2019
If you are someone who earnestly wants to write a nonfiction book--a memoir, self-help, how-to, or any other type of book or copy--and doesn't know where to start, this book is just right for you. It's a helpful collection of tips about preparation, research, tone, and execution. It's about understanding your readers, explaining complicated ideas, and not being boring. If you're someone who's a little farther along in your writing journey, however, it might not be as helpful. Because I edit nonfiction for a living and have already written four fiction books, this was a little basic for my needs.
Beyond that, though, although it provides a bevy for tools for not being boring, it doesn't necessarily use those tools for itself. The author talks, for instance, about the role of humor in nonfiction, and sprinkles his own humorous anecdotes throughout, but they don't seem to directly relate to the struggle a nonfiction writer might face in incorporating humor into their own writing.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Beyond that, though, although it provides a bevy for tools for not being boring, it doesn't necessarily use those tools for itself. The author talks, for instance, about the role of humor in nonfiction, and sprinkles his own humorous anecdotes throughout, but they don't seem to directly relate to the struggle a nonfiction writer might face in incorporating humor into their own writing.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 10, 2018
Writing to be Understood is a great resource! It covers handy topics such as, understanding your readers, writing for the tough audience, how to explain complicated ideas and using explanatory analogies, to name just a few. What is truly unique about this book is the inclusion of insights from a bestselling nonfiction author, a cognitive scientist, an economist and a comedian. You will find your own personal and effective writing style using the myriad of informative techniques outlined by author Anne Janzer. This book stands out among writing references. Five stars!
August 9, 2018
Anne Janzer is a gifted teacher for writers. I've enjoyed her other books immensely and this one is no exception. This smart book takes you through the steps to identify your ideal audience, write interesting analogies, and craft a nonfiction manuscript that readers will love. The world of nonfiction tends to get ignored in the publishing community, despite the fact that far more nonfiction books sell every year than fiction. This is a much-needed guide for nonfiction writers who want to up their game and write better books, articles, blog posts, and other content. Highly recommended!
July 17, 2019
WRITING TO BE UNDERSTOOD demystifies what makes nonfiction writing compelling in a well-researched, well-written handbook. Author Anne Janzer, who has worked with over a hundred technology businesses to articulate positioning and messaging in crowded markets, teaches what really grabs readers and holds their attention, and how to apply those techniques to your own writing. Along with advice from writers themselves, Janzer offers intriguing insights from cognitive science, psychology, technology, medicine, and more for writing with more appeal and pizazz. 5/5
Pub Date 09 Aug 2018
Thanks to Independent Book Publishers Association and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#WritingToBeUnderstood #NetGalley
Pub Date 09 Aug 2018
Thanks to Independent Book Publishers Association and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.
#WritingToBeUnderstood #NetGalley
August 22, 2018
As a nonfiction author and a marketer, I’ve always tried to keep my reader in the forefront of my thoughts while writing. In Writing to Be Understood, Anne Janzer makes an excellent case for really getting into the head of your audience, losing jargon and using stories to engage and inform. An excellent guide to writing with the goal of being clearly understood and to reach even those on the opposite side of the discussion. An excellent read.
November 2, 2018
أن تكتب بشكل مفهوم، كتاب يهتم بتقنيات الكتابة. يطرح في مقدمته تساؤلات مهمة موجهة للكتاب بشكل عام؛ من بينها هل فكرت يومًا بالكتب التي تُعد موضوعاتها جادة ومعقدة لكنها بذات الوقت ممتعة ومكتوبة بشكل متسلسل ومقنع؟. هل تود أن تكتب بذات الطريقة لتنجح في الوصول للقراء المستهدفين؟
تتناول المؤلفة الأدوات اللازمة كي يحدد الكتّاب الاستراتيجيات التي ستنجح في جذبت قرائهم وتلك التي يجب عليهم أن يبتعدوا عنها قدر الإمكان، وقبل التعمّق في محتوى كتابها لم تغفل الكاتبة عن توضيح حقيقة أنه لا يمكن أن يرضى عن الكاتب الجميع لذلك اختيار الشريحة المستهدفة هو أولى الخطوات وأهمها.
ولتقديم المعلومات بشكل متسلسل ولتناول جوانب عملية الكتابة كافة؛ قسمت جانزر كتابها إلى ثلاث أجزاء، يتناول الجزء الأول كيفية فهم القارئ من خلال نصائح من حصلت مؤلفاتهم على أفضل المبيعات في مجالات مختلفة، والكتابة للجمهور الواعي والمثقف، وكمية المعلومات التي يجب تقديمها بعد دراسة ما يعرفه الجمهور مسبقًا.
الجزء الثاني من الكتاب يركز على طرق شرح الأفكار المعقدة، والتي ليس من السهل الكتابة عنها غالبًا. يتناول هذا الجزء الاستفادة من عامل الفضول لدى القراء، وكيف يقدم الكاتب لهم التفاصيل الغير مفهومة. قدمت المؤلفة ذلك في قالب قصصي يعتمد على نصائح مصممين وبعض العاملين في المجالات الإبداعية.
الجزء الثالث من الكتاب مخصص للحديث عن الملل الذي قد يقع فيه القراء وكيف يمكن للكاتب أن ينأى بكتاباته عن الأفكار المكررة التي قد تدفع القارئ لدوامة الملل، من خلال التركيز على النبرة والنمط الكتابي، وكيفية إدخال الجانب الذي يستحث خيال القارئ. ولم يغفل هذا الجزء عن تناول المصداقية كونها جزء كبير من الكتابة الناجحة. وحتى تبتعد الكتابة مهما كان فحواها عن الجمود لابد من الاستفادة من الجانب الفكاهي الذي يخدم الفكرة الأساسية.
محتوى الكتاب موجه للكتاب المحترفين والمبتدئين، حيث يمكن استخدامها لمتخلف الأغراض، سواء الكتابة الحرفية أو التدوين الإلكتروني، الكتاب يحتوي على قائمة من الكتب التي تنصح الكاتبة بالاطلاع عليها.
*كتبت المراجعة لقافلة أرامكو الأسبوعية.
تتناول المؤلفة الأدوات اللازمة كي يحدد الكتّاب الاستراتيجيات التي ستنجح في جذبت قرائهم وتلك التي يجب عليهم أن يبتعدوا عنها قدر الإمكان، وقبل التعمّق في محتوى كتابها لم تغفل الكاتبة عن توضيح حقيقة أنه لا يمكن أن يرضى عن الكاتب الجميع لذلك اختيار الشريحة المستهدفة هو أولى الخطوات وأهمها.
ولتقديم المعلومات بشكل متسلسل ولتناول جوانب عملية الكتابة كافة؛ قسمت جانزر كتابها إلى ثلاث أجزاء، يتناول الجزء الأول كيفية فهم القارئ من خلال نصائح من حصلت مؤلفاتهم على أفضل المبيعات في مجالات مختلفة، والكتابة للجمهور الواعي والمثقف، وكمية المعلومات التي يجب تقديمها بعد دراسة ما يعرفه الجمهور مسبقًا.
الجزء الثاني من الكتاب يركز على طرق شرح الأفكار المعقدة، والتي ليس من السهل الكتابة عنها غالبًا. يتناول هذا الجزء الاستفادة من عامل الفضول لدى القراء، وكيف يقدم الكاتب لهم التفاصيل الغير مفهومة. قدمت المؤلفة ذلك في قالب قصصي يعتمد على نصائح مصممين وبعض العاملين في المجالات الإبداعية.
الجزء الثالث من الكتاب مخصص للحديث عن الملل الذي قد يقع فيه القراء وكيف يمكن للكاتب أن ينأى بكتاباته عن الأفكار المكررة التي قد تدفع القارئ لدوامة الملل، من خلال التركيز على النبرة والنمط الكتابي، وكيفية إدخال الجانب الذي يستحث خيال القارئ. ولم يغفل هذا الجزء عن تناول المصداقية كونها جزء كبير من الكتابة الناجحة. وحتى تبتعد الكتابة مهما كان فحواها عن الجمود لابد من الاستفادة من الجانب الفكاهي الذي يخدم الفكرة الأساسية.
محتوى الكتاب موجه للكتاب المحترفين والمبتدئين، حيث يمكن استخدامها لمتخلف الأغراض، سواء الكتابة الحرفية أو التدوين الإلكتروني، الكتاب يحتوي على قائمة من الكتب التي تنصح الكاتبة بالاطلاع عليها.
*كتبت المراجعة لقافلة أرامكو الأسبوعية.
August 8, 2018
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.
I loved Writing to Be Understood! Anne Janzer has a terrific conversational tone which makes the book accessible, engaging, and fun to read. The organization of the chapters is sensible and intuitive, which makes it equally satisfying to read straight through or jump to the chapter that interests you.
Her central premise of audience-centered writing resonated deeply with me. Her advice and techniques to become better at this were excellent and easy to understand. I particularly like the short summaries of the most important things to remember that capped each section of new information.
Sprinkled throughout the book are words of wisdom from professional non-fiction writers from various industries. Seeing how audience-centered principles apply in different fields showed how vital they are in strong writing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has to complete any writing, ever. Whether you are emailing a colleague or client, or are writing a major project, Writing to Be Understood will help you be a better, more effective writer.
I loved Writing to Be Understood! Anne Janzer has a terrific conversational tone which makes the book accessible, engaging, and fun to read. The organization of the chapters is sensible and intuitive, which makes it equally satisfying to read straight through or jump to the chapter that interests you.
Her central premise of audience-centered writing resonated deeply with me. Her advice and techniques to become better at this were excellent and easy to understand. I particularly like the short summaries of the most important things to remember that capped each section of new information.
Sprinkled throughout the book are words of wisdom from professional non-fiction writers from various industries. Seeing how audience-centered principles apply in different fields showed how vital they are in strong writing.
I would recommend this book to anyone who has to complete any writing, ever. Whether you are emailing a colleague or client, or are writing a major project, Writing to Be Understood will help you be a better, more effective writer.
September 22, 2020
I read a lot of narrative nonfiction and self-help and business nonfiction, but I've never read a book targeted at authors of nonfiction.
To a great degree, the information here is straightforward and predictable. Know your audience. How much explanation do they need? Illustrative stories and analogies can make your point relatable, but only if the story or analogy is strong enough that you can structure your book around it. Otherwise, don't try to structure your book around it. Use an authentic voice, but don't be condescending or patronizing to your reader.
Also, as you can see from the examples above, it is impossible for Ms. Janzer to give definitive answers to the reader of this book of exactly how to write. Each situation will be different. So she gives a list of issues to consider--and it is a helpful list--but it boils down to a list.
If you are a nonfiction writer, get a copy of this book, but understand that it won't solve all of your problems. It will give you valid and important issues to consider as you organize, write and edit your work.
To a great degree, the information here is straightforward and predictable. Know your audience. How much explanation do they need? Illustrative stories and analogies can make your point relatable, but only if the story or analogy is strong enough that you can structure your book around it. Otherwise, don't try to structure your book around it. Use an authentic voice, but don't be condescending or patronizing to your reader.
Also, as you can see from the examples above, it is impossible for Ms. Janzer to give definitive answers to the reader of this book of exactly how to write. Each situation will be different. So she gives a list of issues to consider--and it is a helpful list--but it boils down to a list.
If you are a nonfiction writer, get a copy of this book, but understand that it won't solve all of your problems. It will give you valid and important issues to consider as you organize, write and edit your work.
August 19, 2018
Fascinating look at nonfiction writing
I loved this book. I’m an avid reader of nonfiction, and I see certain patterns in the writing I like, such as humor and person anecdotes. And it is topics like this that Anne Janzer discusses in her book. While the book is directed to nonfiction book authors, I found it meaningful, and as I went along, I compared Janzer’s suggestions to the nonfiction books I’ve loved and I found that I agreed with her on almost everything. I recommend this book to readers of nonfiction for the insights it provides.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I loved this book. I’m an avid reader of nonfiction, and I see certain patterns in the writing I like, such as humor and person anecdotes. And it is topics like this that Anne Janzer discusses in her book. While the book is directed to nonfiction book authors, I found it meaningful, and as I went along, I compared Janzer’s suggestions to the nonfiction books I’ve loved and I found that I agreed with her on almost everything. I recommend this book to readers of nonfiction for the insights it provides.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
August 10, 2018
"Writing to be Understood" is a great book for anyone who wants to appeal to their readers. This book is geared mostly to those who write nonfiction, but I think anyone can learn something from this book. I liked that it also drew on experiances from others. I highly recommend this book if you are writing nonfiction and want to learn how to reach and engage your readers.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.
August 18, 2018
As a non-fiction author who tries her best to write to be understood, I learned so much from "Writing to Be Understood." Each chapter introduces an approach, with just the right balance of inspiration and practicality. My favorite? Chapter 8: Explanatory Analogies As someone who's particularly bad at coming up with analogies, I was captivated by the way Anne tackled the topic.
I highly recommend this book for all non-fiction writers, whether you're working on a full book or a blog post.
(Full disclosure, Anne interviewed me and quoted me in the book.)
I highly recommend this book for all non-fiction writers, whether you're working on a full book or a blog post.
(Full disclosure, Anne interviewed me and quoted me in the book.)
October 2, 2019
I very much enjoyed the unique value that “Writing to Be Understood” contributes. I am not aware of any other books quite like this one, and I highly recommend it for the aspiring nonfiction author, or for the nonfiction author who wishes to improve in his / her effectiveness. Anne Janzer has done a superb job at gathering information from studying professional authors as well as drawing from cognitive psychology and neuroscience in efforts to teach us how to become better nonfiction writers.
This book is a way to look behind the curtain of what professional nonfiction writers are doing. Perhaps some of them use these techniques purposefully and strategically, and others choose to do it by their intuition of what feels right to them. As a nonfiction writer myself and having my master’s in psychology, I was already aware of some of the contents of this book, but it was organized and explained so well that often I came away with a new perspective on information I had come across in other areas.
Something to watch out for is that it is one thing to know what these principles are and to identify them, and it is quite another to apply them effectively – this is the sort of topic where it may take a short while to learn (and read the book), but a lifetime to master. Nonetheless, it is quite useful to have all of these handy tools for nonfiction writing all in one place.
I. C. Robledo, Author in "Mind & Brain Improvement"
To learn more, search my name in your Goodreads search bar.
This book is a way to look behind the curtain of what professional nonfiction writers are doing. Perhaps some of them use these techniques purposefully and strategically, and others choose to do it by their intuition of what feels right to them. As a nonfiction writer myself and having my master’s in psychology, I was already aware of some of the contents of this book, but it was organized and explained so well that often I came away with a new perspective on information I had come across in other areas.
Something to watch out for is that it is one thing to know what these principles are and to identify them, and it is quite another to apply them effectively – this is the sort of topic where it may take a short while to learn (and read the book), but a lifetime to master. Nonetheless, it is quite useful to have all of these handy tools for nonfiction writing all in one place.
I. C. Robledo, Author in "Mind & Brain Improvement"
To learn more, search my name in your Goodreads search bar.
August 1, 2018
Seeing as I am readers and reviewing authors works I wanted to better understand the process and lets face it I can't help but say I have been looking or dabbling into writing myself. I was more than eager at the chance to read this book in hopes to better understand the process that goes into writing.
Wiring to be Understood by Anne Janser is that book. Anne bring in others authors and their knowledge will help those interested in how to become better writing of non fiction and well any type of story telling.
The author has done her research and has insane amount of knowledge. She also brings in people from the different field of psychology, technology, economics, and more areas than I can count. They give insight into the world of non fiction which can also be applied to the world of fiction writing as well.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Cuesta Park Consulting for the advance copy of Anne Janzer Writing to be understood.
Wiring to be Understood by Anne Janser is that book. Anne bring in others authors and their knowledge will help those interested in how to become better writing of non fiction and well any type of story telling.
The author has done her research and has insane amount of knowledge. She also brings in people from the different field of psychology, technology, economics, and more areas than I can count. They give insight into the world of non fiction which can also be applied to the world of fiction writing as well.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Cuesta Park Consulting for the advance copy of Anne Janzer Writing to be understood.
January 6, 2021
I give this book 4.5 stars but rounded it up. There is plenty of good advice for writing non-fiction (but it's not original as there are already so many books on writing):
- Visualize your target audience and write for them.
- Select people matching your target audience to give you honest feedback.
- Your readers will help you determine the breadth (single issue or a wide range of topics) and depth of the content.
- The content should either provide a benefit (value of the information) or spark curiosity (interesting to know).
- Start with key ideas and provide details/stories/analogies.
- Visualize your target audience and write for them.
- Select people matching your target audience to give you honest feedback.
- Your readers will help you determine the breadth (single issue or a wide range of topics) and depth of the content.
- The content should either provide a benefit (value of the information) or spark curiosity (interesting to know).
- Start with key ideas and provide details/stories/analogies.
March 24, 2019
If you have an interest in writing nonfiction, this book is a must-read. Janzer shares the tips and tricks of published authors, taking the mystery out of writing a compelling work of nonfiction without making it boring or unreadable. She reviews everything from research to writing and lays it out in a simple and understandable format. This is a wonderful resource for any writer. *Advanced copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
September 21, 2020
¡Disfrute mucho este libro!
Creo que sería muy útil para quienes son escritores non-fiction o quieren llegar a serlo. Anne da puntos claves sobre cómo escribir para mantener la atención de tus lectores. Qué cosas hay que hacer y cuales es preferible evitar tomando de ejemplo errores de previos escritores.
Sencilla lectura, pero muy útil y recomiendo tener un cuaderno a mano para tomar nota!
Gracias a NetGalley por proveerme una copia avanzada a cambio de una opinión honesta.
Creo que sería muy útil para quienes son escritores non-fiction o quieren llegar a serlo. Anne da puntos claves sobre cómo escribir para mantener la atención de tus lectores. Qué cosas hay que hacer y cuales es preferible evitar tomando de ejemplo errores de previos escritores.
Sencilla lectura, pero muy útil y recomiendo tener un cuaderno a mano para tomar nota!
Gracias a NetGalley por proveerme una copia avanzada a cambio de una opinión honesta.
May 15, 2021
A concise and easy-to-follow guide for someone wanting to dip their toes into non-fiction writing, or someone just looking for ways to improve their writing in general. *raises both hands*
March 3, 2026
I feel slightly sorry for Anne Janzer, the author. When you write a book with this title, you are really setting yourself up for the critics who suggest that you are not very good at it yourself. However, I think she has done a fairly good job and has employed many, if not most of the techniques that she recommends. First, she has been humble enough to seek out the advice of good non-fiction writers and draw on them as case studies....She also recommends being humble. I also empathised with her when she mentions non-fiction writers slavishly following a formula such as commence each chapter with a story etc., etc. I read a lot of non-fiction and I really do get tired of this formulaic approach by so many authors.
Overall, I think she has done a very good job. She sets the stage by saying that you need to write for a specific audience and you are never going to win over the whole audience. I especially liked the section where she deals with writing for an antagonistic audience; who already have their minds made up and have no intention of changing their views. My former colleague Ralph E was mystified about how intelligent people could accept and defend ideas where the data seemed unequivocal and opposed to their way of thinking. Yet they could come up with the most contorted explanations to explain the data and preferred this to changing their minds. Anne, kind-of, deals with this. But doesn’t really come up with a solution....I guess the key to Anne’s book is that it’s about writing to be understood....not to be believed. I’m somewhat surprised that no-where does she use Rudoph Flesch’s work and tests on the “readability” or ‘comprehension” of text. I remember reading his book about 60 years ago and it had an enormous impact on me. I still remember much of his mantra: Short sentences; use verbs; use personal pronouns...and I consciously try to incorporate this into my writing. (And use his test to check how I’m doing). But that reminds me of a situation where I had written a book for a UN organisation and it was going through the process of peer review. One of the critics/reviewers complained that it was written too much in a “chatty: style rather that in the formal style admired in the UN. I had run it through the Flesch test which suggested that it was written at an appropriate level for a high school graduate. I thought this was about right as many of the potential readers would not have English as their first language. Fortunately, the editor and the publications manager agreed wholeheartedly with me on this. So no re-writing on this score, anyway.
Anyway, I liked Anne’s book a lot. And I’ve learned a lot from it and will try and apply some of the lessons in my future writing. Five stars from me.
I’ve extracted some of the gems from the book below...though ran out of space: mainly to help me remember it and refer back to it...but it may also help others.
“Introduction: Why are certain writers so effective at connecting with us and explaining complicated and unfamiliar topics, while others leave us cold?.....Determining what “works” in writing is a highly subjective exercise....In doing the research for this book, I started by surveying the writers I find particularly engaging and successful....I dissected these authors’ writing strategies to tease out what they did. To offset my own biases, I interviewed many nonfiction lovers about their strategies and favourite writers.
The same methods and techniques appeared repeatedly: stories, explanatory analogies, skilful use of details, figurative language, repetition, and more.....A piece of writing succeeds or fails not on the page but in a reader’s head. To increase the impact of your nonfiction writing, focus beyond the words and topic, on the minds of the readers.
If, as is often the case, the intersection of your enthusiasm and the readers’ interests is a narrow sliver, don’t worry. Skilful writers expand the sweet spot as they write. They do this by understanding what’s going on in the readers’ heads.....I’m assuming that you’re either a nonfiction writer seeking to explain things or someone who loves reading this kind of work. Either way, you’re curious about what makes the best writers so effective.....The end goal is being understood, and understanding is a cognitive function....Masterful communicators make esoteric subjects interesting for the rest of us.....Simply reading this book won’t make you a better writer. If only it were that easy! By exploring and practicing the methods in this book, you can expand your skill set and develop a writing style that reaches more people.
As the world grows ever more complex, we need people who write and speak across industry and genre boundaries, who incite our curiosity and show us the truths we should see.
I. Understanding Your Readers: Authors who are expert in their fields can fall prey to one of two conflicting temptations in this situation:....They stick to writing for readers they know, such as colleagues or people like them.....Conversely, they may attempt to write for everyone, assuming that the reader brings nothing to the conversation. This approach often results in a generic, dull description that interests no one.
No matter how compelling you find your topic, you won’t reach everyone—that’s a given.
Put aside your fascination with the subject and think about the target audience....It may be counterintuitive, but if you want to reach a larger audience, consider concentrating more closely on a specific segment of it. To broaden your impact, tighten your focus on the reader.
Once you’ve chosen a target reader or two, make a list of the identities, beliefs, or experiences you may have in common. Particularly when you’re trying to reach people outside your field,.....When we first meet someone, we instinctively look for ways that we are the same or different. We’re not aware of many of these us/ them filters. Deep in our primitive minds, we are trying to determine if the person poses a threat.
Our social identities are fluid.....When reading fiction or nonfiction, we virtually inhabit different groups, perspectives, and identities. So, take your readers’ roles and identities into consideration when writing.......In the technology industry, where I spent my career, businesses create buyer personas, or detailed profiles of buyers and decision-makers. Personas begin with job titles and add general demographic and psychographic information, such as attitudes and aspirations, to create a fictional character who represents a segment of buyers. Armed with this insight, marketers generate content to meet the needs of specific groups of prospects and customers....Writers can benefit from doing something similar.
Aiming for a market segment isn’t enough. We don’t write for data or segments—we write for people.....For example, you might start with People who read the New York Times and are interested in housing policy.....Look for shared experiences and identities.....“When we find one place of agreement, it’s easier to get to the next place of agreement.
These are my three essential rules for choosing your ideal reading audience:
1. Your audience is never “everyone.”
2. Having a specific audience makes your writing better.
3. Personas, demographic classifications, and customer segments aren’t people. Write for people.
Daniel Pink writes about topics ranging from neuroscience to human motivation to chronobiology, explaining these subjects for the general reading public....It turns out that he applies many of the writing practices described in this book, while focusing relentlessly on the needs of his audience.....What’s more, one of my own tests of whether I understand a concept is whether I can explain it quickly and clearly to someone who knows little about the subject.”...“In the writing itself, my circle is quite small. The most important reader is my wife, who is also my business partner. She reads every word I write—often multiple times. She is an extremely sharp-minded and astute reader who—and this is important—doesn’t shy away from telling me I’m not making sense.
In each of his books, Pink draws readers in with stories and anecdotes told well.
I asked him how he found the balance of story, data, and exposition. His response: “I don’t aim for specific ratios. But I think hard about what combination is the best way to get across an idea. Sometimes doing that requires leaning more heavily on one particular element.
What other advice does he offer to nonfiction writers? “Three things. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.”
How can we train ourselves to think about that absent reader and their needs? We need to develop empathy for people who are not present.....Cognitive empathy refers to the ability to take another person’s perspective......Affective empathy is the ability to summon the appropriate emotional response for another person’s emotional state. The common refrain for affective empathy is “I feel your pain.”
As a writer, cognitive empathy helps you understand readers’ perspectives: what they already know and need to know, what they are doing when they encounter this information.
always remember that human thought is a complex combination of abstract thought, linear thinking, associative processes, emotions, sensory perceptions, mental shortcuts, and ephemeral memories. You are not an entirely rational being. Nor is your reader. By planting yourself firmly in the field of rationality and ignoring emotion, you reduce the effectiveness of your writing.
At the risk of vastly oversimplifying a complex field, let’s create a working model of the reader’s brain,
• Sensory systems interpret the sight, sound, touch, and other senses.
• Reasoning systems include the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain that manage language, symbols, and abstractions....But the reasoning mind isn’t always rational.
• Emotional systems use evolutionarily older parts of the brain, including the limbic systems. Some emotions run pretty deep.
Further back in time and lower in the brain you’ll find the amygdala, an ancient structure that manages the quick responses that keep us alive in times of threat. It’s home to the “fight or flight” instinct. Emotions related to the amygdala (fear, disgust, etc.) kick in quickly, before rational thought has a chance to work.
The limbic (emotional) systems may respond to the ideas or to the writer personally. A reader who feels threatened might have an active amygdala response as well.
You are writing for the reader’s entire mind, not just the rational parts. I’m not saying that you should overtly manipulate people, but if you want to be effective in reaching your audience, understand how and why readers react to your writing.
The most effective writers don’t simply explain things—they make their ideas memorable. They leverage innate communication skills to connect with other people....Writers apply different techniques and strategies for reminding themselves about the reader, so as to activate cognitive empathy.
• Many people visualize their ideal readers when drafting.
• A few paste pictures of target audience members on their walls.
• Others try out topics or ideas on existing groups of colleagues, students, family members, or strangers at parties.
In his book If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, Alda describes how he realized that improvisational acting techniques could help scientists communicate more effectively....It makes sense. Improvisation requires that actors focus intently on their scene partners to follow what’s happening. The two cardinal rules of improv are saying yes, and… to any situation offered you, and always making your partner look good.
Alda didn’t stop at applying this insight to his own television work. He joined up with Stony Brook University in New York and lent his name to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, where training and research continues in this intersection of empathy and scientific or medical communication.....Says Laura Lindenfeld, director of the Alda Center, “Our mission is to train scientists and medical professionals to communicate with empathy, warmth, and clarity.”
“Principally, the same things that make you a good speaker make you a good writer. It has to do with your relationship with the audience....Communication is about being present with your audience—whether it’s a real one standing before you or a virtual audience
Methods for Writers: Getting to Know Your Readers To develop cognitive empathy for your reader, use a two-pronged approach: get in front of real people, and then ponder their needs when they are absent. Here are a few strategies....Hold a workshop, and talk with people directly.....Or, find a friend or colleague who can serve as a proxy or stand-in for your ideal reader......Do whatever it takes to test your message with other people and see how they respond. Do their eyes light up? Are they confused?....This tactic only works if you pay attention to the other person.....Will they encounter this piece of writing as one more thing to do in a busy day? If so, you’ll have to earn their attention—What’s their motivation for reading?...Do they need a quick answer? If so, what are their questions? Anticipate and answer their questions up front, then go into the “how and why” of your answers.
Write a letter to yourself from your ideal reader, with all the questions you think they might ask.
Few of your readers care about what you know, no matter how many years you have spent accumulating that wisdom. They care about what they need or want to understand....You’ll have to decide what to include and what to leave out. The more you love your subject, the harder this decision can be....Once we know something, it’s difficult to remember not knowing it. We take our knowledge for granted...When smart, caring people write incomprehensible stuff, the curse of knowledge is usually to blame. It plagues experts who write for the layperson, or the industry insider addressing an outsider....Before you write a single word, you face a fundamental decision about exactly what you want and need to cover. Answer these three questions. Breadth: Will you cover a single issue or a wide range of topics?...Depth: Should you dive into details? How many are necessary? Background: How much does the reader already know, and how much will you need to backfill?....These decisions depend almost entirely on your readers.
For some books, breadth is part of the essential value, as in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry....Tyson went wide, not deep...The book is a masterful example of writing about a complex and abstract topic....The KISS mantra can become a convenient excuse for hiding complexity that you would rather people not see, such as:
Removing transparency from investments, because investors don’t need to know the possible risks...Not communicating to patients the complete range of treatment options available or the potential risks...Get to the important points. Don’t lead with the gnarly details, but don’t hide them, either.
Sabine Hossenfelder..is a theoretical physicist at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, and writes about physics....She reports, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that journalists are so successful at making physics seem not so complicated that many readers come away with the impression that they can easily do it themselves. How can we blame them for not knowing what it takes if we never tell them?”
Deciding what to cover and what to leave out challenges everyone.....Get guidance from outsiders
“There are two dangers to knowing your subject matter well. First, you think everyone else knows it already, and as a result, no one understands what you write. Or, you think that nobody knows this stuff, and you go into excruciating detail.”...The key, says Popky, is getting feedback from the right individuals. “You need people who understand the audience and provide the right level of feedback at the right time....Identify your key points...If the audience will only remember two to three things from your talk, what would they be? Once you know those points, underline and repeat them.”....The more time and effort we have invested in the words, the harder it is to cut them. That’s a problem, because the most valuable editing tool is often the Delete key....Instead of deleting sections, relocate them.
When editing my book manuscripts, I create a companion file called “Stuff that needs a new home.”....Now you’ve got a rich source of material for other purposes, such as blog posts, articles, examples, speeches, or lessons.
Before you begin the work, do a site survey of your audience’s understanding of the topic. Make your best guesses for the following questions: What do the readers already know that is correct? What do they imagine they know about the topic?...What do they believe that is wrong or incomplete?....We cannot possibly know everything we need to know, so we rely on other experts to understand things for us. However, we unconsciously claim ownership of expertise that doesn’t live in our own heads.
When writing to explain, you may need to navigate the reader’s illusion that they already know enough about the topic....Consider the numerous urban legends that persist to this day, despite constant debunking....These legends spread and persist because they combine emotional context (often fear) with effective storytelling.
In his marvellous book “A Field Guide to Lies”, the neuroscientist Daniel Levitin writes:
It’s important to accept that in complex events, not everything is explainable, because not everything was observed or reported....Put this understanding of human cognitive foibles into the hands of entities that want to control our beliefs, and misinformation can take a dark turn into destructive rumour, political mudslinging, and intentional manipulation....Whether you’re confronting actively disseminated doubt and misinformation or the product of loosely regulated thought and looser ethics, the result is the same. You need to deconstruct a belief that has already taken hold in the reader’s head......Here are a few strategies you might use to scope out the extent of misinformation you may face.
• Check social media
• Let Google help you.....For example, typing....”How the moon landing was faked” directed me to a Wikipedia page about the conspiracy theories.
Writing Advice from a Cognitive Scientist....Dr. Steven Sloman teaches psychology to college students, contributes to and edits academic journals, and writes for the general public. He said: “I’ve come to appreciate that in general, many readers don’t want much detail.
Overall, I think she has done a very good job. She sets the stage by saying that you need to write for a specific audience and you are never going to win over the whole audience. I especially liked the section where she deals with writing for an antagonistic audience; who already have their minds made up and have no intention of changing their views. My former colleague Ralph E was mystified about how intelligent people could accept and defend ideas where the data seemed unequivocal and opposed to their way of thinking. Yet they could come up with the most contorted explanations to explain the data and preferred this to changing their minds. Anne, kind-of, deals with this. But doesn’t really come up with a solution....I guess the key to Anne’s book is that it’s about writing to be understood....not to be believed. I’m somewhat surprised that no-where does she use Rudoph Flesch’s work and tests on the “readability” or ‘comprehension” of text. I remember reading his book about 60 years ago and it had an enormous impact on me. I still remember much of his mantra: Short sentences; use verbs; use personal pronouns...and I consciously try to incorporate this into my writing. (And use his test to check how I’m doing). But that reminds me of a situation where I had written a book for a UN organisation and it was going through the process of peer review. One of the critics/reviewers complained that it was written too much in a “chatty: style rather that in the formal style admired in the UN. I had run it through the Flesch test which suggested that it was written at an appropriate level for a high school graduate. I thought this was about right as many of the potential readers would not have English as their first language. Fortunately, the editor and the publications manager agreed wholeheartedly with me on this. So no re-writing on this score, anyway.
Anyway, I liked Anne’s book a lot. And I’ve learned a lot from it and will try and apply some of the lessons in my future writing. Five stars from me.
I’ve extracted some of the gems from the book below...though ran out of space: mainly to help me remember it and refer back to it...but it may also help others.
“Introduction: Why are certain writers so effective at connecting with us and explaining complicated and unfamiliar topics, while others leave us cold?.....Determining what “works” in writing is a highly subjective exercise....In doing the research for this book, I started by surveying the writers I find particularly engaging and successful....I dissected these authors’ writing strategies to tease out what they did. To offset my own biases, I interviewed many nonfiction lovers about their strategies and favourite writers.
The same methods and techniques appeared repeatedly: stories, explanatory analogies, skilful use of details, figurative language, repetition, and more.....A piece of writing succeeds or fails not on the page but in a reader’s head. To increase the impact of your nonfiction writing, focus beyond the words and topic, on the minds of the readers.
If, as is often the case, the intersection of your enthusiasm and the readers’ interests is a narrow sliver, don’t worry. Skilful writers expand the sweet spot as they write. They do this by understanding what’s going on in the readers’ heads.....I’m assuming that you’re either a nonfiction writer seeking to explain things or someone who loves reading this kind of work. Either way, you’re curious about what makes the best writers so effective.....The end goal is being understood, and understanding is a cognitive function....Masterful communicators make esoteric subjects interesting for the rest of us.....Simply reading this book won’t make you a better writer. If only it were that easy! By exploring and practicing the methods in this book, you can expand your skill set and develop a writing style that reaches more people.
As the world grows ever more complex, we need people who write and speak across industry and genre boundaries, who incite our curiosity and show us the truths we should see.
I. Understanding Your Readers: Authors who are expert in their fields can fall prey to one of two conflicting temptations in this situation:....They stick to writing for readers they know, such as colleagues or people like them.....Conversely, they may attempt to write for everyone, assuming that the reader brings nothing to the conversation. This approach often results in a generic, dull description that interests no one.
No matter how compelling you find your topic, you won’t reach everyone—that’s a given.
Put aside your fascination with the subject and think about the target audience....It may be counterintuitive, but if you want to reach a larger audience, consider concentrating more closely on a specific segment of it. To broaden your impact, tighten your focus on the reader.
Once you’ve chosen a target reader or two, make a list of the identities, beliefs, or experiences you may have in common. Particularly when you’re trying to reach people outside your field,.....When we first meet someone, we instinctively look for ways that we are the same or different. We’re not aware of many of these us/ them filters. Deep in our primitive minds, we are trying to determine if the person poses a threat.
Our social identities are fluid.....When reading fiction or nonfiction, we virtually inhabit different groups, perspectives, and identities. So, take your readers’ roles and identities into consideration when writing.......In the technology industry, where I spent my career, businesses create buyer personas, or detailed profiles of buyers and decision-makers. Personas begin with job titles and add general demographic and psychographic information, such as attitudes and aspirations, to create a fictional character who represents a segment of buyers. Armed with this insight, marketers generate content to meet the needs of specific groups of prospects and customers....Writers can benefit from doing something similar.
Aiming for a market segment isn’t enough. We don’t write for data or segments—we write for people.....For example, you might start with People who read the New York Times and are interested in housing policy.....Look for shared experiences and identities.....“When we find one place of agreement, it’s easier to get to the next place of agreement.
These are my three essential rules for choosing your ideal reading audience:
1. Your audience is never “everyone.”
2. Having a specific audience makes your writing better.
3. Personas, demographic classifications, and customer segments aren’t people. Write for people.
Daniel Pink writes about topics ranging from neuroscience to human motivation to chronobiology, explaining these subjects for the general reading public....It turns out that he applies many of the writing practices described in this book, while focusing relentlessly on the needs of his audience.....What’s more, one of my own tests of whether I understand a concept is whether I can explain it quickly and clearly to someone who knows little about the subject.”...“In the writing itself, my circle is quite small. The most important reader is my wife, who is also my business partner. She reads every word I write—often multiple times. She is an extremely sharp-minded and astute reader who—and this is important—doesn’t shy away from telling me I’m not making sense.
In each of his books, Pink draws readers in with stories and anecdotes told well.
I asked him how he found the balance of story, data, and exposition. His response: “I don’t aim for specific ratios. But I think hard about what combination is the best way to get across an idea. Sometimes doing that requires leaning more heavily on one particular element.
What other advice does he offer to nonfiction writers? “Three things. Rewrite. Rewrite. Rewrite.”
How can we train ourselves to think about that absent reader and their needs? We need to develop empathy for people who are not present.....Cognitive empathy refers to the ability to take another person’s perspective......Affective empathy is the ability to summon the appropriate emotional response for another person’s emotional state. The common refrain for affective empathy is “I feel your pain.”
As a writer, cognitive empathy helps you understand readers’ perspectives: what they already know and need to know, what they are doing when they encounter this information.
always remember that human thought is a complex combination of abstract thought, linear thinking, associative processes, emotions, sensory perceptions, mental shortcuts, and ephemeral memories. You are not an entirely rational being. Nor is your reader. By planting yourself firmly in the field of rationality and ignoring emotion, you reduce the effectiveness of your writing.
At the risk of vastly oversimplifying a complex field, let’s create a working model of the reader’s brain,
• Sensory systems interpret the sight, sound, touch, and other senses.
• Reasoning systems include the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain that manage language, symbols, and abstractions....But the reasoning mind isn’t always rational.
• Emotional systems use evolutionarily older parts of the brain, including the limbic systems. Some emotions run pretty deep.
Further back in time and lower in the brain you’ll find the amygdala, an ancient structure that manages the quick responses that keep us alive in times of threat. It’s home to the “fight or flight” instinct. Emotions related to the amygdala (fear, disgust, etc.) kick in quickly, before rational thought has a chance to work.
The limbic (emotional) systems may respond to the ideas or to the writer personally. A reader who feels threatened might have an active amygdala response as well.
You are writing for the reader’s entire mind, not just the rational parts. I’m not saying that you should overtly manipulate people, but if you want to be effective in reaching your audience, understand how and why readers react to your writing.
The most effective writers don’t simply explain things—they make their ideas memorable. They leverage innate communication skills to connect with other people....Writers apply different techniques and strategies for reminding themselves about the reader, so as to activate cognitive empathy.
• Many people visualize their ideal readers when drafting.
• A few paste pictures of target audience members on their walls.
• Others try out topics or ideas on existing groups of colleagues, students, family members, or strangers at parties.
In his book If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?, Alda describes how he realized that improvisational acting techniques could help scientists communicate more effectively....It makes sense. Improvisation requires that actors focus intently on their scene partners to follow what’s happening. The two cardinal rules of improv are saying yes, and… to any situation offered you, and always making your partner look good.
Alda didn’t stop at applying this insight to his own television work. He joined up with Stony Brook University in New York and lent his name to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, where training and research continues in this intersection of empathy and scientific or medical communication.....Says Laura Lindenfeld, director of the Alda Center, “Our mission is to train scientists and medical professionals to communicate with empathy, warmth, and clarity.”
“Principally, the same things that make you a good speaker make you a good writer. It has to do with your relationship with the audience....Communication is about being present with your audience—whether it’s a real one standing before you or a virtual audience
Methods for Writers: Getting to Know Your Readers To develop cognitive empathy for your reader, use a two-pronged approach: get in front of real people, and then ponder their needs when they are absent. Here are a few strategies....Hold a workshop, and talk with people directly.....Or, find a friend or colleague who can serve as a proxy or stand-in for your ideal reader......Do whatever it takes to test your message with other people and see how they respond. Do their eyes light up? Are they confused?....This tactic only works if you pay attention to the other person.....Will they encounter this piece of writing as one more thing to do in a busy day? If so, you’ll have to earn their attention—What’s their motivation for reading?...Do they need a quick answer? If so, what are their questions? Anticipate and answer their questions up front, then go into the “how and why” of your answers.
Write a letter to yourself from your ideal reader, with all the questions you think they might ask.
Few of your readers care about what you know, no matter how many years you have spent accumulating that wisdom. They care about what they need or want to understand....You’ll have to decide what to include and what to leave out. The more you love your subject, the harder this decision can be....Once we know something, it’s difficult to remember not knowing it. We take our knowledge for granted...When smart, caring people write incomprehensible stuff, the curse of knowledge is usually to blame. It plagues experts who write for the layperson, or the industry insider addressing an outsider....Before you write a single word, you face a fundamental decision about exactly what you want and need to cover. Answer these three questions. Breadth: Will you cover a single issue or a wide range of topics?...Depth: Should you dive into details? How many are necessary? Background: How much does the reader already know, and how much will you need to backfill?....These decisions depend almost entirely on your readers.
For some books, breadth is part of the essential value, as in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astrophysics for People in a Hurry....Tyson went wide, not deep...The book is a masterful example of writing about a complex and abstract topic....The KISS mantra can become a convenient excuse for hiding complexity that you would rather people not see, such as:
Removing transparency from investments, because investors don’t need to know the possible risks...Not communicating to patients the complete range of treatment options available or the potential risks...Get to the important points. Don’t lead with the gnarly details, but don’t hide them, either.
Sabine Hossenfelder..is a theoretical physicist at the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies, and writes about physics....She reports, “The most important lesson I’ve learned is that journalists are so successful at making physics seem not so complicated that many readers come away with the impression that they can easily do it themselves. How can we blame them for not knowing what it takes if we never tell them?”
Deciding what to cover and what to leave out challenges everyone.....Get guidance from outsiders
“There are two dangers to knowing your subject matter well. First, you think everyone else knows it already, and as a result, no one understands what you write. Or, you think that nobody knows this stuff, and you go into excruciating detail.”...The key, says Popky, is getting feedback from the right individuals. “You need people who understand the audience and provide the right level of feedback at the right time....Identify your key points...If the audience will only remember two to three things from your talk, what would they be? Once you know those points, underline and repeat them.”....The more time and effort we have invested in the words, the harder it is to cut them. That’s a problem, because the most valuable editing tool is often the Delete key....Instead of deleting sections, relocate them.
When editing my book manuscripts, I create a companion file called “Stuff that needs a new home.”....Now you’ve got a rich source of material for other purposes, such as blog posts, articles, examples, speeches, or lessons.
Before you begin the work, do a site survey of your audience’s understanding of the topic. Make your best guesses for the following questions: What do the readers already know that is correct? What do they imagine they know about the topic?...What do they believe that is wrong or incomplete?....We cannot possibly know everything we need to know, so we rely on other experts to understand things for us. However, we unconsciously claim ownership of expertise that doesn’t live in our own heads.
When writing to explain, you may need to navigate the reader’s illusion that they already know enough about the topic....Consider the numerous urban legends that persist to this day, despite constant debunking....These legends spread and persist because they combine emotional context (often fear) with effective storytelling.
In his marvellous book “A Field Guide to Lies”, the neuroscientist Daniel Levitin writes:
It’s important to accept that in complex events, not everything is explainable, because not everything was observed or reported....Put this understanding of human cognitive foibles into the hands of entities that want to control our beliefs, and misinformation can take a dark turn into destructive rumour, political mudslinging, and intentional manipulation....Whether you’re confronting actively disseminated doubt and misinformation or the product of loosely regulated thought and looser ethics, the result is the same. You need to deconstruct a belief that has already taken hold in the reader’s head......Here are a few strategies you might use to scope out the extent of misinformation you may face.
• Check social media
• Let Google help you.....For example, typing....”How the moon landing was faked” directed me to a Wikipedia page about the conspiracy theories.
Writing Advice from a Cognitive Scientist....Dr. Steven Sloman teaches psychology to college students, contributes to and edits academic journals, and writes for the general public. He said: “I’ve come to appreciate that in general, many readers don’t want much detail.
September 12, 2019
Surprisingly, this book makes me see the nonfiction reading in the whole new ways and it will be forever changed. I can see how the writers structure their writing as I read nonfiction books or information articles thanks to this book. It is such a great manual for learning how to copywriting or writing nonfiction. There are many great writing formulas, methods for writing and a lot of xray examples from the famous writers like Malcolm Gladwell, Hope Jahren (Lab Girl), Daniel Pink, Dr. Steven Sloman, Nir Eyal, John Oliver
✰Here are some of the key take away I’d learned from this book.
● Who are your readers? Know your audience. Identify ideal readers. Your audience never everyone. Have a specific audience. Write for people.
● What’s going on in the reader’s brain? Get to know your readers. Connect with them. Engage. Having a clear understanding of your audience makes you a more effective writer.
● How much do the reader need to know? Simplify vs oversimplify. Decide what to include and what not. Cut or relocate.
● How to explain abstract ideas? Activate the reader’s curiosity. Reduce unnecessary cognitive load. Illustrate the abstract with concrete examples. Stay with key ideas and seasoning with data.
● Insert analogy. Develop stories because readers remember stories, not data.
● Effective repetition. Repeat with intention and value.
● How to not be boring. Voice, tone, and style. What tone do you want to convey? Conversational writing. Words of choice. Writing structures.
● Create images and imaginary. Grabe the readers’s attention and interest. Use metaphor and analogy. Connect.
● Credibility, humanity, humility, and humor.
The most important thing I think is to develop your own writing style. Writing takes a lot of practice, self-reflection and the willingness to experiment. I think that will help us adjust our own style, enhance our creativity, connect more deeply with the readers. So, experiment, explore, and see how your writing lands with the readers. With practice, you may discover new depts in your writing, and your style may evolve.
Although I didnt plan to be a writer or write anything serious but as I like to write, such as book learning, or writing up funny thoughts, I want to be able to write better. This book is a great caption to what I need to learn and granted, I can also implement this writing formula for my professional work like writing proposal and presentation.
More insightful reading for business at https://curiousbag.com
✰Here are some of the key take away I’d learned from this book.
● Who are your readers? Know your audience. Identify ideal readers. Your audience never everyone. Have a specific audience. Write for people.
● What’s going on in the reader’s brain? Get to know your readers. Connect with them. Engage. Having a clear understanding of your audience makes you a more effective writer.
● How much do the reader need to know? Simplify vs oversimplify. Decide what to include and what not. Cut or relocate.
● How to explain abstract ideas? Activate the reader’s curiosity. Reduce unnecessary cognitive load. Illustrate the abstract with concrete examples. Stay with key ideas and seasoning with data.
● Insert analogy. Develop stories because readers remember stories, not data.
● Effective repetition. Repeat with intention and value.
● How to not be boring. Voice, tone, and style. What tone do you want to convey? Conversational writing. Words of choice. Writing structures.
● Create images and imaginary. Grabe the readers’s attention and interest. Use metaphor and analogy. Connect.
● Credibility, humanity, humility, and humor.
The most important thing I think is to develop your own writing style. Writing takes a lot of practice, self-reflection and the willingness to experiment. I think that will help us adjust our own style, enhance our creativity, connect more deeply with the readers. So, experiment, explore, and see how your writing lands with the readers. With practice, you may discover new depts in your writing, and your style may evolve.
Although I didnt plan to be a writer or write anything serious but as I like to write, such as book learning, or writing up funny thoughts, I want to be able to write better. This book is a great caption to what I need to learn and granted, I can also implement this writing formula for my professional work like writing proposal and presentation.
More insightful reading for business at https://curiousbag.com
September 18, 2018
Writing to Be Understood takes the non-fiction writer behind the scenes so they can understand the science and psychology of writing. The book explored different techniques such as analogy, humor, metaphor etc. that can be used by writers to get your point across.
This book is a very good resource for writers. Anne Janzer took the time to ensure that the information being presented was clear and easily understood. She employed the techniques taught to show the readers how it could be used effectively.
I received an ARC from NetGalley; a positive review was not required.
This book is a very good resource for writers. Anne Janzer took the time to ensure that the information being presented was clear and easily understood. She employed the techniques taught to show the readers how it could be used effectively.
I received an ARC from NetGalley; a positive review was not required.
March 14, 2020
Hints about the basis of writing, for beginners and not
As the author Janzer suggests introducing her book "Simply reading this book won't make you a better writer [..]By exploring and practicing the methods, you can expand your skill set and develop a writing style that reaches more people".
I really appreciated the organizational structure, the book is well divided in chapters about specific topics, each chapter begins presenting the 2 or 3 treated key points, a short summary closes each section.
Tone and style are also very likeable and make the subject easy to follow.
The book touches various aspects about communication and non-fiction writing, often mentioning other authors and works.
Anyway it has not the pretence to enter deeply in every specific point and remains on the surface, giving just a few specific hints about the covered subject.
It can be very useful especially for beginners, considering also the amount of interesting references sprinkled throughout the book.
As the author Janzer suggests introducing her book "Simply reading this book won't make you a better writer [..]By exploring and practicing the methods, you can expand your skill set and develop a writing style that reaches more people".
I really appreciated the organizational structure, the book is well divided in chapters about specific topics, each chapter begins presenting the 2 or 3 treated key points, a short summary closes each section.
Tone and style are also very likeable and make the subject easy to follow.
The book touches various aspects about communication and non-fiction writing, often mentioning other authors and works.
Anyway it has not the pretence to enter deeply in every specific point and remains on the surface, giving just a few specific hints about the covered subject.
It can be very useful especially for beginners, considering also the amount of interesting references sprinkled throughout the book.
August 2, 2018
This book goes behind the scenes and provides insight and advice on how to writing works. It's not just about the research done, writing style or voice or even grammar but I couldn't help but smile when the author also shed light on the clarity of the writer whilst writing any book. It's something I've struggled with and reading about it here plus the advice from other published authors was timely.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.
July 5, 2020
This one really surprised me with simple layout and crystal clear advice, by dissecting non fiction literature layer by layer.
Book uses all the tricks it depicts except humour which is non visible. It takes examples which are from some of my favourite non fiction masters like taleb,kahneman etc.
After reading it a new set of filter appears in front of eyes, next time one dips into nonfiction book. Must read for any aspiring author, who is sincere and curious.
Only thing got a bit troublesome, was mention of research and data inbetween but it rapidly recaptures attention of the reader after occasional slump. Uses analogue and stories effectively and there is a lot of new stuff that one can learn.
Book uses all the tricks it depicts except humour which is non visible. It takes examples which are from some of my favourite non fiction masters like taleb,kahneman etc.
After reading it a new set of filter appears in front of eyes, next time one dips into nonfiction book. Must read for any aspiring author, who is sincere and curious.
Only thing got a bit troublesome, was mention of research and data inbetween but it rapidly recaptures attention of the reader after occasional slump. Uses analogue and stories effectively and there is a lot of new stuff that one can learn.
September 23, 2020
*Disclosure: I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*
It took me an entire month to get through this book, in large part due to the poor quality of NetGalley's new audiobook player.
Because of this, I don't feel very qualified to comment extensively or decisively on this book, due to the subpar listening experience.
Technical problems aside, this book was...fine. It's definitely not very high, lofty literature; it's approachable and well-explained. There were a few parts I really enjoyed - the author's explanation of humor, while a bit technical, was quite interesting. Overall, though, it fell flat.
I'd still recommend it to others - if, for nothing else, than for the last few chapters - but this book was just not for me.
It took me an entire month to get through this book, in large part due to the poor quality of NetGalley's new audiobook player.
Because of this, I don't feel very qualified to comment extensively or decisively on this book, due to the subpar listening experience.
Technical problems aside, this book was...fine. It's definitely not very high, lofty literature; it's approachable and well-explained. There were a few parts I really enjoyed - the author's explanation of humor, while a bit technical, was quite interesting. Overall, though, it fell flat.
I'd still recommend it to others - if, for nothing else, than for the last few chapters - but this book was just not for me.
June 9, 2019
A must read!
Pros: So good I had to read it twice. It felt like a brand new book with new information each time.
Cons: None! I'll be going for a third round soon.
Pros: So good I had to read it twice. It felt like a brand new book with new information each time.
Cons: None! I'll be going for a third round soon.
June 27, 2020
Read the first half of the book with great interest. Any serious writer needs to be exposed to the psychology of writing.
May 5, 2024
I found this book had some excellent tips for writers to focus on, zeroing in on what engages a reader in an author’s writing style, how to draw in the reader and keep them engaged using cognitave empathy to grab and maintain a reader’s attention. The author shares the importance of focusing on tone and delivery of information when writing a story, not just the storyline. She goes on to say that good nonfiction reading should have the reader feeling the emotions of story, and as for self-help books or manuals, make the readers easily able to digest information instead of sounding like an instructional. She offers great tools to keep the writing lighter and interesting, with tricks about how not to bore readers, how to cater to and connect with your readers, and learn how to be able to please the majority of our readers – because, as Janzer says: there will always be some readers that can’t be pleased, by offering her methods for connecting with readers, helps to ensure most readers connect with our ’emotional components’.
The author offers snippets from other writers with tips to keep the readers reading, as one stated, we must keep the reader curious enough to continue reading without using ‘unnecessary’ vocabulary terms a reader may be unfamiliar with. Although a reader may not appreciate tedious writing, the importance of keeping readers engaged is with voice, and using analogies to activate sensory processing of emotions, especially with nonfiction readers.
You will also find a chapter about the importance of never deleting unused work or parts of a book, and what to do with those bits, for future uses. “When you’re writing nonfiction, you don’t have to mesmerize people with suspense. You might simply frame a moment, a scene, or transformation.” “People remember stories, not data.” In Part Three – How Not to be Boring, Janzer talks about tone and style – voice, style, and tone. As a conversational writer myself, I did enjoy the chapter on Conversational writing. The author broke it down nicely as to what’s involved with conversational writing, such as paragraph and sentence length, and the importance of staying away from using jargon and the importance of using personalized writing and imagery by use of figurative language, metaphors and similes, which spur a pause or curiosity from the reader. Also caveats on choice of metaphors so as not to irritate readers with a misintrepreted choice of metaphor, which may not convey the writer’s initial intention and may also distract a reader when they pause too long to think about what the writer is trying to convey. We’re advised to choose familiar images to project with our metaphors to avoid distraction as can idiomatic expressions, (natural and unscripted thoughts) which can leave a reader visualizing something more problematic.
Metaphors should support work and move the cause forward, and the importance of clarifying a metaphor the general public may not clue into. Imagery touches all the senses. But I think my favorite chapter was #13 – Credibility, Humanity, and Humility, and how Janzer goes deeper into how these three elements are important in nonfiction writing – “Humility disarms the reader and paves the way for deeper connections.” This book reinforced in me what my own readers in general, gratefully, say about my own books, my vulnerability and empathy not written as authority, but from authentic self, not self-absorbed, welcoming in the reader because something about a story made them feel connected as though I was conversing directly to them. An author’s dream audience.
A well written book by Janzer on how to write to keep the reader engaged by connecting with the reader’s brain. The author reminds that stories and anecdotes are an essential part of a nonfiction writer’s arsenal. We will also learn why repitition of key sentences are effective to instill key points that may have been skimmed over, reiterating that repitition is to be used judicially as to not sound repetitive or boring, rather by rephrasing when reiterating to fuel memory.
This book offers some great cognitive tools for a writer’s arsenal. I also found the style the information was delivered in was very engaging, as opposed to feeling more manual-like as many books on writing can appear. The description of this book mentions it talks about how nonfiction writing can connect strongly with readers; but I will say as a writer that any genre of writer can benefit from this well written and straight forward book.
The author offers snippets from other writers with tips to keep the readers reading, as one stated, we must keep the reader curious enough to continue reading without using ‘unnecessary’ vocabulary terms a reader may be unfamiliar with. Although a reader may not appreciate tedious writing, the importance of keeping readers engaged is with voice, and using analogies to activate sensory processing of emotions, especially with nonfiction readers.
You will also find a chapter about the importance of never deleting unused work or parts of a book, and what to do with those bits, for future uses. “When you’re writing nonfiction, you don’t have to mesmerize people with suspense. You might simply frame a moment, a scene, or transformation.” “People remember stories, not data.” In Part Three – How Not to be Boring, Janzer talks about tone and style – voice, style, and tone. As a conversational writer myself, I did enjoy the chapter on Conversational writing. The author broke it down nicely as to what’s involved with conversational writing, such as paragraph and sentence length, and the importance of staying away from using jargon and the importance of using personalized writing and imagery by use of figurative language, metaphors and similes, which spur a pause or curiosity from the reader. Also caveats on choice of metaphors so as not to irritate readers with a misintrepreted choice of metaphor, which may not convey the writer’s initial intention and may also distract a reader when they pause too long to think about what the writer is trying to convey. We’re advised to choose familiar images to project with our metaphors to avoid distraction as can idiomatic expressions, (natural and unscripted thoughts) which can leave a reader visualizing something more problematic.
Metaphors should support work and move the cause forward, and the importance of clarifying a metaphor the general public may not clue into. Imagery touches all the senses. But I think my favorite chapter was #13 – Credibility, Humanity, and Humility, and how Janzer goes deeper into how these three elements are important in nonfiction writing – “Humility disarms the reader and paves the way for deeper connections.” This book reinforced in me what my own readers in general, gratefully, say about my own books, my vulnerability and empathy not written as authority, but from authentic self, not self-absorbed, welcoming in the reader because something about a story made them feel connected as though I was conversing directly to them. An author’s dream audience.
A well written book by Janzer on how to write to keep the reader engaged by connecting with the reader’s brain. The author reminds that stories and anecdotes are an essential part of a nonfiction writer’s arsenal. We will also learn why repitition of key sentences are effective to instill key points that may have been skimmed over, reiterating that repitition is to be used judicially as to not sound repetitive or boring, rather by rephrasing when reiterating to fuel memory.
This book offers some great cognitive tools for a writer’s arsenal. I also found the style the information was delivered in was very engaging, as opposed to feeling more manual-like as many books on writing can appear. The description of this book mentions it talks about how nonfiction writing can connect strongly with readers; but I will say as a writer that any genre of writer can benefit from this well written and straight forward book.
September 3, 2020
If You Write Nonfiction (or Want to), Get this Book!
Audiobook Review
As a freelance editor and writer of nonfiction myself, I'm always on the lookout for books that will help me with my writing or help me assist my clients with their writing. So when a book about writing shows up at one of my favorite book review sites, I snap it up. This one was actually an audiobook, read by the author. I've only just recently gotten into listening to audiobooks because one of my favorite book review sites just started offering them. I'm finding that I particularly like nonfiction books that are actually narrated by the author, as this one is. I have found that they are able to convey their love of their topic and their excitement for sharing it with you. And that was certainly true of the author/narrator of this book.
I am so glad I picked up this book. It will not only help my writing, but it will help me with my clients. I'll be able to give them much better direction—not that I was doing so poorly before as six of my authors have gotten number one bestsellers this year! The author has written nonfiction books herself, and she found herself asking certain questions about what makes a nonfiction book work—and what doesn't. She started doing research, re-reading and analyzing her favorite nonfiction books and reaching out to writers of nonfiction as well as other nonfiction readers, too, to ask their opinions. So while this book isn't scientifically researched, the author has put a fair amount of time into it. And it shows.
She broadly divides the book into three sections. The first section is all about the audience; I like that the author puts the emphasis on discussing the target audience first. So many people who start a nonfiction book—and I've seen this happen so many times—just think about getting their expertise out there without really thinking: what does the reader want to know, what do they already know, and why do they want to learn more? So, the very first section helps the would-be writer get into the reader's head and appreciate what they might want to know about this subject the author has knowledge about, a passion for, or expertise in..
The next section explores how to explain your subject well in ways that engage the reader, like telling stories, how to artfully incorporate data (if your subject lends to that), and other considerations. She doesn't go into chapter or blog post structure or analysis, which I would have liked to have seen because I’ve found that nonfiction writers or would-be authors struggle with that. But, of course, this book isn’t strictly about writing nonfiction books or blog posts; it’s more generally about nonfiction writing. She did discuss the balance needed between the different aspects of it, like stories, abstract sections, analogies, details, and data. I agree that balance is important.
The final section talks about how to make your writing less boring—and that is literally the title of the section, which I think is fun. In this section, she includes things like imagery, tone, humility, and humanity, finishing out the section with humor. I really like how she offers both what you should include in section two as well as ways to finesse it in section three. What I also liked, too, is that she openly admitted at the end of the book that she herself has learned much from writing this book by her deeper analysis of the books she likes as well as talking with other writers and readers about what works for them. How nice that she benefits from this book as well as we the reader do. I really like this book, and it certainly gives me more arrows in my quiver for myself as well as for my clients. In fact, the Kindle book is so reasonably priced that I think I will be folding it in with my nonfiction book mentoring/coaching price and have reading assignments for my authors as we work on developing their books. The book is that helpful. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this audiobook (and purchased the eBook), but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
Are you a nonfiction author looking for a writing coach? If so, just contact me through Goodreads!
Audiobook Review
As a freelance editor and writer of nonfiction myself, I'm always on the lookout for books that will help me with my writing or help me assist my clients with their writing. So when a book about writing shows up at one of my favorite book review sites, I snap it up. This one was actually an audiobook, read by the author. I've only just recently gotten into listening to audiobooks because one of my favorite book review sites just started offering them. I'm finding that I particularly like nonfiction books that are actually narrated by the author, as this one is. I have found that they are able to convey their love of their topic and their excitement for sharing it with you. And that was certainly true of the author/narrator of this book.
I am so glad I picked up this book. It will not only help my writing, but it will help me with my clients. I'll be able to give them much better direction—not that I was doing so poorly before as six of my authors have gotten number one bestsellers this year! The author has written nonfiction books herself, and she found herself asking certain questions about what makes a nonfiction book work—and what doesn't. She started doing research, re-reading and analyzing her favorite nonfiction books and reaching out to writers of nonfiction as well as other nonfiction readers, too, to ask their opinions. So while this book isn't scientifically researched, the author has put a fair amount of time into it. And it shows.
She broadly divides the book into three sections. The first section is all about the audience; I like that the author puts the emphasis on discussing the target audience first. So many people who start a nonfiction book—and I've seen this happen so many times—just think about getting their expertise out there without really thinking: what does the reader want to know, what do they already know, and why do they want to learn more? So, the very first section helps the would-be writer get into the reader's head and appreciate what they might want to know about this subject the author has knowledge about, a passion for, or expertise in..
The next section explores how to explain your subject well in ways that engage the reader, like telling stories, how to artfully incorporate data (if your subject lends to that), and other considerations. She doesn't go into chapter or blog post structure or analysis, which I would have liked to have seen because I’ve found that nonfiction writers or would-be authors struggle with that. But, of course, this book isn’t strictly about writing nonfiction books or blog posts; it’s more generally about nonfiction writing. She did discuss the balance needed between the different aspects of it, like stories, abstract sections, analogies, details, and data. I agree that balance is important.
The final section talks about how to make your writing less boring—and that is literally the title of the section, which I think is fun. In this section, she includes things like imagery, tone, humility, and humanity, finishing out the section with humor. I really like how she offers both what you should include in section two as well as ways to finesse it in section three. What I also liked, too, is that she openly admitted at the end of the book that she herself has learned much from writing this book by her deeper analysis of the books she likes as well as talking with other writers and readers about what works for them. How nice that she benefits from this book as well as we the reader do. I really like this book, and it certainly gives me more arrows in my quiver for myself as well as for my clients. In fact, the Kindle book is so reasonably priced that I think I will be folding it in with my nonfiction book mentoring/coaching price and have reading assignments for my authors as we work on developing their books. The book is that helpful. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this audiobook (and purchased the eBook), but that did not affect my review.
My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com
Are you a nonfiction author looking for a writing coach? If so, just contact me through Goodreads!
August 3, 2021
I’ve been doing a lot more writing than I had in the past, so I thought this book would be a great book to read. This book had a lot of good information about different ways to communicate to help readers stay interested in your writing and keep them reading until the end. There was also some great advice about how to help the reader feel like you’re having a conversation with them personally.
There were three parts to the book:
- Understanding Your Reader
- How to Explain Complicated Ideas
- How to Not Be Boring
Some of the key takeaways I got from the book were:
Know How Much To Share
I definitely try to do this in my writing, but it can be difficult because you don’t know who will read what you’re writing. Limiting jargon and providing more background information may be important if you are writing for someone with little to no knowledge of the topic. But, if you’re writing to peers, for instance, you can get to the main points more quickly without a lot of background details.
The Effectiveness of Repetition
This rule is better applied to longer works, but repeating your main point three times can greatly help retention. One trick for using repetition effectively without causing boredom is to switch up how you word the information. So you’re repeating without sounding like you’re repeating.
Use Stories
I can see how using stories can impact what you’re writing, but I have had a hard time doing it. I recently read The Money Tree by Chris Guillebeau. Chris took the concept of storytelling to the max by using a fictional story to get across his non-fictional points. I really enjoyed this book as the story had me interested right from the beginning and helped illustrate the author's points.
In most non-fiction writing, you will use short stories and anecdotes to get specific points across that may otherwise be difficult to understand. Stories can also help make your content more memorable as it’s easier to remember a story than specific data.
Humor Can Keep Them Reading
How do you sound naturally funny in your writing? This concept is easy to understand but not so easy to pull off. Whether or not you can get away with using humor in your writing may depend upon your audience. Some audiences will be more receptive to humor than others.
One of the keys to good humor I’ve noticed lately is that if the reader figures out a joke's punchline before they read it, it helps them feel more connected to the writer because they were both thinking the same thing. I have also noticed this when watching TV commercials. If there is a punchline in a commercial I’m watching for the first time, and I figure it out before it’s delivered, I think it’s even funnier because it’s the line I would have used.
Some key quotes from the book:
- “…the end goal is to be understood…”
- “…you must understand the reader's needs and context…”
- “When it comes to identifying a target audience: everyone is no one.”
- “The most effective writers don’t simply explain things — they make their ideas memorable.”
- “The number one attribute of good writers is being willing to delete.”
- “Engaging the reader’s curiosity ‘sweet spot’ requires a balance of the known and unknown.”
- “Stories put complex ideas into a human scale.”
- “…people remember stories, not data.”
- “Be concise.”
Conclusion
In addition to the author's thoughts about writing effectively, she included information from interviews with many other writers. These details provided more perspectives and supporting details for the content in the book.
I learned a lot from this book and hope to apply many of its concepts to my own writing.
There were three parts to the book:
- Understanding Your Reader
- How to Explain Complicated Ideas
- How to Not Be Boring
Some of the key takeaways I got from the book were:
Know How Much To Share
I definitely try to do this in my writing, but it can be difficult because you don’t know who will read what you’re writing. Limiting jargon and providing more background information may be important if you are writing for someone with little to no knowledge of the topic. But, if you’re writing to peers, for instance, you can get to the main points more quickly without a lot of background details.
The Effectiveness of Repetition
This rule is better applied to longer works, but repeating your main point three times can greatly help retention. One trick for using repetition effectively without causing boredom is to switch up how you word the information. So you’re repeating without sounding like you’re repeating.
Use Stories
I can see how using stories can impact what you’re writing, but I have had a hard time doing it. I recently read The Money Tree by Chris Guillebeau. Chris took the concept of storytelling to the max by using a fictional story to get across his non-fictional points. I really enjoyed this book as the story had me interested right from the beginning and helped illustrate the author's points.
In most non-fiction writing, you will use short stories and anecdotes to get specific points across that may otherwise be difficult to understand. Stories can also help make your content more memorable as it’s easier to remember a story than specific data.
Humor Can Keep Them Reading
How do you sound naturally funny in your writing? This concept is easy to understand but not so easy to pull off. Whether or not you can get away with using humor in your writing may depend upon your audience. Some audiences will be more receptive to humor than others.
One of the keys to good humor I’ve noticed lately is that if the reader figures out a joke's punchline before they read it, it helps them feel more connected to the writer because they were both thinking the same thing. I have also noticed this when watching TV commercials. If there is a punchline in a commercial I’m watching for the first time, and I figure it out before it’s delivered, I think it’s even funnier because it’s the line I would have used.
Some key quotes from the book:
- “…the end goal is to be understood…”
- “…you must understand the reader's needs and context…”
- “When it comes to identifying a target audience: everyone is no one.”
- “The most effective writers don’t simply explain things — they make their ideas memorable.”
- “The number one attribute of good writers is being willing to delete.”
- “Engaging the reader’s curiosity ‘sweet spot’ requires a balance of the known and unknown.”
- “Stories put complex ideas into a human scale.”
- “…people remember stories, not data.”
- “Be concise.”
Conclusion
In addition to the author's thoughts about writing effectively, she included information from interviews with many other writers. These details provided more perspectives and supporting details for the content in the book.
I learned a lot from this book and hope to apply many of its concepts to my own writing.
December 2, 2022
Writing to Be Understood by Anne Janzer
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
Genre: Nonfiction
Content Warning: N/A
Page Count: 202
POV: First-person
First Line:
"Can you name your favorite nonfiction books - the ones that explain complicated topics or shift your perspective while holding your interest?"
Favorite Quote:
"'If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it.'" - Nir Eyal
Summary:
Writing to Be Understood is a guide to writing nonfiction effectively and clearly while maintaining the reader's interest.
Review:
This is a fantastic guide to writing. It's geared toward nonfiction writing, but there are definitely tips in here that would help with any type of writing. Janzer strikes a great balance between the science of what works, input from experts, examples, and practical advice. Each chapter is laid out clearly and overs topics such as: understanding your readers, explaining abstract ideas, and how to keep your reader's interest high.
Very few things didn't work for me, but some parts I could have done without were the sections where guests were interviewed to give writing advice and a few of the longer examples. I also found that some of the examples were a bit hard to follow or just unrelatable. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Some of Janzer's advice:
- "Your success depends on other people's comprehension."
- "You are not an entirely rational being. Nor is your reader."
- "You cannot simply reason away a reader's deeper beliefs."
- "If you want people to internalize and remember critical ideas, they need to encounter them more than once."
- "Impatience can outstrip curiosity."
- "Humility disarms the reader and paves the way for deeper connections."
- "When it comes to adding humor to your writing, don't try too hard."
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10
Genre: Nonfiction
Content Warning: N/A
Page Count: 202
POV: First-person
First Line:
"Can you name your favorite nonfiction books - the ones that explain complicated topics or shift your perspective while holding your interest?"
Favorite Quote:
"'If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it.'" - Nir Eyal
Summary:
Writing to Be Understood is a guide to writing nonfiction effectively and clearly while maintaining the reader's interest.
Review:
This is a fantastic guide to writing. It's geared toward nonfiction writing, but there are definitely tips in here that would help with any type of writing. Janzer strikes a great balance between the science of what works, input from experts, examples, and practical advice. Each chapter is laid out clearly and overs topics such as: understanding your readers, explaining abstract ideas, and how to keep your reader's interest high.
Very few things didn't work for me, but some parts I could have done without were the sections where guests were interviewed to give writing advice and a few of the longer examples. I also found that some of the examples were a bit hard to follow or just unrelatable. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Some of Janzer's advice:
- "Your success depends on other people's comprehension."
- "You are not an entirely rational being. Nor is your reader."
- "You cannot simply reason away a reader's deeper beliefs."
- "If you want people to internalize and remember critical ideas, they need to encounter them more than once."
- "Impatience can outstrip curiosity."
- "Humility disarms the reader and paves the way for deeper connections."
- "When it comes to adding humor to your writing, don't try too hard."
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