Write for Your Reader

Some say that writing is a fault. More and more texts can and want to be read today. They vie for the attention of the reader. If you write, you can no longer assume that you will already read it. Anyone who wants to write and be read should consider what he can do to ensure that his text is in the wealth of information.

Content and benefits are important. A pleasing language makes it easier. Correct spelling and grammar announce competence. Even a little advertising cannot hurt. But there is one more instance: the reader. Try to write for our brains, characteristics and quirks. The better the stars are for your texts.

I. Limits of the human brain

Write for the short-term memory

Our short-term memory should be designed for a time window of only two to three seconds. Everything that goes beyond this duration, we get problems. That means keeping together what belongs together, verbs, sentences, information. Be careful with the so-called "prohibition": This allows tearing apart the components and tenses of a verb as far as possible. But we cannot handle more than one slide of about 12 syllables. (Examples: "Never tear ... apart", "he had ... torn apart".) Be careful with your sentences. Make sure you understand each subset well, and beware of too long slots. (Example: "Beware, because our memory blablabla ..., too long slots ...") And trade information compactly:

Write for thought leadership

We cannot read minds - certainly not in writing - and we need a logical line of thought. Having understood A, we can digest B. For you, this means serving your readers a linear successive set of arguments. Of course, you can also work with breaks, jumps, hints and surprises. But all of this means an increased workload for the brain, it can cause misunderstandings or cause the reader to understand anything. In many cases, it is helpful to write in sequence and keep the thread going. Always ask yourself if your reader will be able to follow you to the point just mentioned. Only then will we continue to the next point. Even optical design tools can help.

Write for information store

We also tend to store information in different departments, areas. If you move from duck breeding to quantum physics out of the blue, your readers will not only have to digest the abrupt change of subject. You also need to change the department, so to speak, to find relevant (technical) terms or stow away new information. Again, this means an increased workload for the brain. Instead, provide your readers with a framework: announce what's next. Give an overview. Agree on the topic. And let only then follow concrete details.

II. Potentials of the human brain

Write for visual perception

We interpret the stimuli of the outer world through our sense organs. And most people tend to think and perceive very strongly visually. We think in pictures and get a picture of something. You can use this human attribute for writing. Address the senses of your readers. Deliver material for human imagination. Create mental images. It works with a concrete pictorial language. "Trees" do not deliver a picture yet. In the "Christmas tree", on the other hand, many readers' brains fire bundles of associations and images: decorated Christmas trees in their living room. Nativity scenes under the tree. Snow-crowned fir trees in the town square. The smell of pastries. Church bells in the ear. Your reader is now wide awake and enthusiastic about it. Use it for your texts.

Write for mental images

As I said, we tend to get mental pictures of something. We also save many everyday, familiar words as pictures. We recognize them "at a glance" without having to deal with them more closely. It is much easier to read because we jump from image to image, so to speak. Everyday terms such as tree or house are therefore better than unfamiliar artifacts such as material procurement measure. Write whenever you can, not only pictorially, but also simple and familiar. Where that should not work, help simple, pictorial explanations and descriptions.

III. Other human characteristics

Write for limited attention span

We humans only have a limited attention span. What does not grab us more or less quickly is lost. Therefore, avoid anything that is lengthy in your texts. Get to the point and delete everything superfluous. Be careful not to waste time on your readers. Strong, curious introductions can also help catch the ever-diminishing attention of your readers.

Write for human emotionality

Of course we are also emotional beings. Pack the readers with their emotions, entertain them, serve the pleasure and fun factor. It goes with content, but also with a nice, "enjoyable" language. Illustrative, stimulating additions are also great. It can be: pictures, examples, stories, questions, quotes, jokes and more.

Write for loud reading

In the past, lyrics were often read aloud. Even those who read alone, mumbled the text softly to themselves. And even if we mostly read silently today, we have kept the need to formulate the words in thought. Very few texts are only skimmed over by the eye and "scanned"; their contents are usually not liable. So write for the human ear. Every text should sound good, sound good. Read your own text aloud.

IV. The reader as an individual

Write for different requirements

We humans are different. This is a truism, which is firstly often ignored and secondly can have a major impact on your lyrics. What prior knowledge can you expect from your readers? Which technical terms should you explain? Which style and which "level" can and do you want to maintain? Which examples make sense at all, because your readers can know and assign them from their own everyday life? I also mentioned above that you should try to write as easily and familiarly as possible. But even that differs depending on the readership and target audience. It would be helpful if you do not under- or overwhelm your readers.

Write for different perceptions

We also perceive differently. The more you align with your readers, the better you will understand. No matter how hard you try to express yourself well, everyone reads and sees something else in a text. This is due to our individual perception and interpretation filters. There will never be a 100% fit between you and your readers. But you could at least worry about this point too. Will your readers probably understand you? Will they have a sense of humor or irony? Will they accept speech as hyping or exaggeration and find it good? Sure, often find texts and those readers who will love them already. But if you know in advance,

Write for different needs

One last but very important point: people have different needs. What needs and expectations do those people have that you want to imagine or gain as a reader? For example, will your readers be taught something, get informed, or want to have fun? Are you allowed to get more detailed or do you have to write in a nutshell? Again, texts and readers often come together by themselves. But if you use your texts to pursue particular goals or to target selected readers, the question of the benefit can be of vital importance.

Author's Note

As i said that content, language and style are not everything especially for best online essay writing service . Those who write should not lose sight of one important authority: the reader. This can mean considering a specific audience, but it goes way beyond. To write for the reader is to write for the human brain, for human qualities and quirks. That is how it's done.