|
What makes hard reading? Is it difficult ideas? Complicated explanation? Is it obscure words? Long sentences? Readers don't fatigue easily if it's only these. More likely, it's other things that make them lose interest in what you're saying. If your writing is a chore to get through, it's probably because no one's sure what your point is. Or you're talking it through too slowly, and maybe using turns of phrase that are tediously long. You might have bogged down in a muddy argument as well. You may be repeating yourself, too, a sure sign to your reader that it's safe to disengage. Or maybe it's just your tone: are you being long-faced and over-serious? Who'd stay and listen to that? Here are six quick pointers, to keep your reader engaged and happy. First, paraphrase your central idea quickly. You'll know from other articles I've written that I believe in saying my essay's punchline right up front. Well, I also believe in saying it fast, in as few words as possible. How best to package it? You can use a metaphor. I've got an ezine article on how to do this. Have a look! Second, use your talking voice. Don't you have to use a different style for writing? No. That is a big, fat myth. Write like you talk. Know what I do? I talk my sentences out loud while I write them. (I'm doing it now, as I write this.) Talk like a grownup, of course. Slang and half-sentences make people think you're lazy (which you are), and nobody listens to lazy talk. But honestly, write things out in the normal, conversational way. At the very least, don't use any 'passive voice' constructions-which is to say, don't tell your reader that the ball is thrown by John, when you'd normally say that John throws the ball. Get it? Use ordinary language. Third, keep your proof clear and fast. Move from one point in your essay to the next quickly, and don't let your reader forget what it was you were trying to show in the first place. Fourth, never repeat yourself. That's confusing at worst, and irritating at best. Plus, it's never necessary. Fifth, try not to use any expressions you've heard before. Make your language do what you want it to do without any prefabricated parts, or else you'll eventually lose your hold on the precision of your argument. You'll also bore your reader. And sixth, know that it's okay to be funny. In fact, it's generally a good idea, though obviously you need to be sensitive to what 'funny' means to your particular readership. One universally approved way to be funny is to hang your essay on an anecdote. (Have a look at my ezine article on how this works.) Anecdotes perk up essays quickly because you can keep returning to them as you write, and riffing new one-liners off them. Everyone enjoys following that. Another way is with a bit of dialogue, or perhaps a little mimicry. Anything you think is funny probably is. Don't be coarse with it. People may laugh when they hear vulgarity in nightclubs, but that's because they're startled, not because they think it's enlightened. But within the usual limits of grownup conversation, by all means, crack jokes and lighten things up! Want to know if you're doing it right? Here's the insta-test. See how easy or hard it is for you to stay on job as you write. If you're boring yourself, you can count on boring your eventual reader. dissertation writing service
Related Articles -
Avoid, Dull, Writing,
|
