How To Lead Without Pushing The Reader

Posted on 21 May 2011 by

Part of your job as a writer is to lead the reader into the thought process you want.  That way, they can follow, understand and appreciate your arguments, leading to a (hopefully) positive reception of your conclusion.

Too many writers can get overzealous in their desire to lead the reader.  If you find yourself getting worked up along the same lines, it might be time to relax a little.  Nobody likes getting bullied into accepting a point of view and too much pushing can feel exactly like that to an average reader.

Pushing can get especially excessive when you’re writing a persuasive piece.  While some readers appreciate a hardline stance, most will just be turned off.    There’s nothing wrong with wanting  to convince the reader, but sticking to a few good practices will guarantee that you efforts don’t backfire.

One of the most important things you can do is to use a respectful tone throughout the paper.   Don’t try to intimidate the reader or talk them down.  Instead, treat them like a friend you’re engaging in a healthy discussion with.

Additionally, never present any position as an absolute.  Argue as much as you want for your case, but leave the decision of whether it’s right to the reader.  There’s always room for interpretation and forcing the reader to take your side will not help your cause.

It’s fine to lead, but never do so at the expense of forcing the issue.   Follow the above guidelines and you can help readers wrap their heads around your ideas without losing them in the process.

Keeping Self-Criticism At Bay

Posted on 20 May 2011 by

When you’re drafting, it’s important to silence the inner critic.  Self-criticism may be a healthy endeavor in the right context.  Unfortunately, the time you spend working on a draft is not one of them.

At this point in the writing process, it’s important to resist the temptation of inviting your inner critic.  When you recognize yourself making judgments about any part of the text, just shut it down and get back to writing.  You can do all that later.

Don’t reread what you’ve produced, don’t attempt to make rewriting and don’t even consider fixing grammar.  You’re only drafting for now — you can do all that when you edit later.

Be more conscious of those moments when your critical voice begins asserting itself.  Don’t give it any room while you’re still drafting.  As useful as it may be, it has no business meddling in your affairs until called upon later when you’re revising.

Different writers have developed various techniques to deal with the need to silence the critical mind — some employ meditation, a few talk to the critical mind like it was a person, others disguise the writing task (e.g. a letter that does not need to be eloquent), and other variations that allow them to keep it at bay.  In time, you’ll likely find one that works best for you as well.   For now, just keep doing your best to stop self-criticism from ruining your work process.

Good Writers Are Good “Rewriters”

Posted on 19 May 2011 by

If we named people’s professions by the work they often do, then writers would be called “rewriters.”  Why?  Because most of us spend our time rewriting what we’ve already written in an effort to make it better.

Ask any working writer where the hours actually go and very few of it actually end up on the original draft.  Instead, a hefty chunk of their time is spent on revising that draft and it’s in those post-draft steps that the real work gets done.

If you’ve never been much for revision, we beg you to reconsider.   Consider the draft as an expression of your original thoughts transferred to paper.  Like your thoughts, it can sometimes be jumbled, disorganized, confusing, unfocused and less than refined.  To make it palatable for the reader’s eyes, you then spend the rest of the time polishing, refining and improving on that initial burst of expression, making sure every idea is clear and the entire document effectively achieves its goals.

During rewriting, you’re free from the pressure of expressing your ideas.  You’ve already done that with the draft.  As such, you can focus all your energies on making sure the paper communicates your ideas the way you want the reader to get them — the mechanics, the flow, the rhythm, the style, the voice and all these other things that turn a rough paper into something worthy of the reader’s attention.