By mediachic
The Gap Between What You Want to Say, and What they Hear
Writers often face a gap between what they want to say and what readers actually take away. To close that gap, focus on your reader.
What’s the big message?
Do you want your reader to do something, to feel something? Are they expected to act on the information? Who are they exactly, and what love language—in the larger scheme of things—do they speak? Keep that front and center.
2. The Hook: Grab Their Attention
Keep facts bold. Is there an underlying question to the story? Make it clear, cut the fluff (that is, unless it’s a romance novel). Use active voice, mix it up. Short, punchy sentences with longer ones will keep things lively, like the ebb and flow of narrative prose.
3. Stick to One Idea Per Paragraph
It’s a known fact that most people can only absorb three or four main points in a story. Choose your points, and what doesn’t fit, put it in another document and save it for something else another day. Keep your language simple, and back up your facts.
Pro Tip: So what? Miles Davis said it first, but it’s worth reiterating. Read your work out loud and ask yourself, what’s the point of each paragraph? What do you want the reader to walk away with? What’s the point of the story? What is the takeaway?
