Maryan, I'm just getting started and picked this essay. I so appreciated this:
"If we want readers to read us, we’re obliged to respect their time and patience. Before you disseminate anything, read it as though you didn’t write it. Read it as though you can barely spare the time to read it."
Another writer - Tommy Dixon I think - once said to me, imagine every word you write costs you $10. After he told me that, I edit, cut and rewrite to see how much $ I can save. (It pains me to read through my old essays and see how much I could have saved. 😒)
But most importantly, as you say, when we publish, we're asking someone for their time and engagement, which is valuable to them. We've given them a gift if we can be a contribution to them while asking for just enough reading time to make that contribution. If we don't achieve that, not only have we not given them a gift, we've claimed a bit of their time without delivering something valuable in return.
A final thank you for distilling the essence of your perspective into 'respect for their time and patience.' That will stay with me, Maryan.
I've been guilty of long-winded openings in the past...and it still happens when I blurt everything out in firehose fashion! The most painful thing that I did was edit out a lot of my words during the subsequent revisions.
It's like preparing a mental meal or snack for your reader. Everything needs a proper amount. To much fiber or fat or salt, and the whole thing becomes unedible from the first bite.
Thanks for this great reminder (the other half of this list is just as important!). 😉
Write on, Maryan! You had me with the first one. As an editor, it drives me crazy to see so many writers breaking up cohesive thoughts into separate one-sentence paragraphs. And to make matters worse, these writers often begin a new paragraph with "They" or something that refers to the sentence in the previous "paragraph." I suspect these writers understand the concept of paragraphs, but believe their work is more readable without them
A while back, a few writing gurus online harangued that making each sentence a paragraph adds white space to a post and makes it easier to read on a phone. Poppycock. Scrolling and scrolling makes anything less readable. I don’t advocate longggg paragraphs, but it’s getting so I skip the stories that look like a laundry list.
Pet Peeves; I'd like to add one. There is actually a TV commercial airing right now for Subaru hybrid vehicles. A car with two men traveling along a long, straight highway in the middle of nowhere. On the screen are the words:
597 mpg. The only thing you'll run out of are things to talk about.
Don't they have proofreaders for these things??? Ahhhh!!!
Maryan, I'm just getting started and picked this essay. I so appreciated this:
"If we want readers to read us, we’re obliged to respect their time and patience. Before you disseminate anything, read it as though you didn’t write it. Read it as though you can barely spare the time to read it."
Another writer - Tommy Dixon I think - once said to me, imagine every word you write costs you $10. After he told me that, I edit, cut and rewrite to see how much $ I can save. (It pains me to read through my old essays and see how much I could have saved. 😒)
But most importantly, as you say, when we publish, we're asking someone for their time and engagement, which is valuable to them. We've given them a gift if we can be a contribution to them while asking for just enough reading time to make that contribution. If we don't achieve that, not only have we not given them a gift, we've claimed a bit of their time without delivering something valuable in return.
A final thank you for distilling the essence of your perspective into 'respect for their time and patience.' That will stay with me, Maryan.
I've been guilty of long-winded openings in the past...and it still happens when I blurt everything out in firehose fashion! The most painful thing that I did was edit out a lot of my words during the subsequent revisions.
It's like preparing a mental meal or snack for your reader. Everything needs a proper amount. To much fiber or fat or salt, and the whole thing becomes unedible from the first bite.
Thanks for this great reminder (the other half of this list is just as important!). 😉
I love the simile!!
More good tips from a pro. Thank you.
Write on, Maryan! You had me with the first one. As an editor, it drives me crazy to see so many writers breaking up cohesive thoughts into separate one-sentence paragraphs. And to make matters worse, these writers often begin a new paragraph with "They" or something that refers to the sentence in the previous "paragraph." I suspect these writers understand the concept of paragraphs, but believe their work is more readable without them
A while back, a few writing gurus online harangued that making each sentence a paragraph adds white space to a post and makes it easier to read on a phone. Poppycock. Scrolling and scrolling makes anything less readable. I don’t advocate longggg paragraphs, but it’s getting so I skip the stories that look like a laundry list.
I hear you, though I enjoy a good listicle!
Most monkeys don't toss peanuts, only empty shells. Then there are those wise and generous people who freely share gems, as you do, Maryan.
I love this comment, my friend. Love the way you think, and thanks for the kind words.
Pet Peeves; I'd like to add one. There is actually a TV commercial airing right now for Subaru hybrid vehicles. A car with two men traveling along a long, straight highway in the middle of nowhere. On the screen are the words:
597 mpg. The only thing you'll run out of are things to talk about.
Don't they have proofreaders for these things??? Ahhhh!!!