CONTENTS
How To Write Clearly
Check out the full contents list for How To Write Clearly.
You can also read chapter 1 online.
Let’s be clear
- What is clear writing?
- Clarity is in the mind of the reader
- Clear writing means easy reading
- Content and context
- What clear writing can do
- Why clear writing can be hard
- About this book
- Clarity vs. Poetry
- Ideas, not rules
Know your reader
- Who is your reader?
- Personas
- What does your reader want or need?
- What does your reader know?
- How does your reader feel?
Planning
- What are you aiming for?
- Write a mission statement
- Write a plan
- Why bother to plan?
- How wide and how deep?
- Too many aims
- Kitchen sink syndrome
Length
- How much should you write?
- Your deal with the reader
- Think minutes, not words
- The goldfish myth
- Length limits and their benefits
- Length targets and their drawbacks
- Search engine overreach
Structure
- Why use a structure?
- The inverted pyramid
- One line to reach your reader
- Step by step
- Group by group
- Questions and answers
- Problem and solution
Titles
- What titles do
- Descriptive titles
- ‘How to’ titles
- ‘Why’ titles
- Question titles
- Command titles
- Doing titles
- List titles
- Two-part titles
Research
- Do your research
- Ponder or plunge?
- Interviewing subject experts
- Write to research
- The curse of knowledge
Plain language
- What is plain language?
- The value of plain language
- Simple words
- Why simple language works
- Everyday words
- Concrete words
- Accessible language
- Measuring readability
- The limits of statistics
- Opening up, not dumbing down
- The courage to be simple
Clear sentences
- What sentences do
- Write ideas first, not sentences
- Basic sentences
- Keep sentences short and simple
- Right-branching sentences
- Make key points stand alone
- Progressive sentences
- Passive and active
- End sentences with significant words
- End sentences with a stressed syllable
- Say what is happening, not what ‘there is’
- Positives and negatives
- Double negatives
- When to use negatives
- Clarity first, grammar second
Clear paragraphs
- What paragraphs do
- Basic paragraph structure
- Put your points in the best order
- How long should a paragraph be?
- Signposts for the reader
Talking to your reader
- Why writing is like talking
- Answer the reader
- Write like you talk
- Write for one person
- Write for someone you know
- Listen to your writing
Ten writing traps
- Padding
- Abstractions
- Nominalisations
- Weak adverbs
- Jargon
- Commercialese
- Officialese
- Weasel words
- Hedging
- Uncertain language
Metaphors
- What is a metaphor?
- Thinking with metaphors
- Mixed metaphors
- Metaphors have limits
- Metaphors embody values
- Metaphors express emotion
- Metaphors affect action
- Metaphors at work
- Proverbs
- Analogies
- Should you use a metaphor?
Building knowledge
- How people learn
- Certainties
- Knowledge gaps
- Hidden knowledge
- Complete unknowns
- Conscious and competent
Four pathways to understanding
- Communication styles
- The analytical style: ‘Show me the proof’
- The intuitive style: ‘What’s the big idea?’
- The functional style: ‘How does it work?’
- The personal style: ‘People matter most’
- Combining styles
Empathy
- What is empathy?
- Why empathy matters
- Plain speaking
- The emotions of learning
- Acknowledge the reader’s feelings
- State your purpose
- Parent, adult and child
- Tone of voice
- Own your mistakes
- Anticipate the reader’s mistakes
- Pacing
Changing the reader’s mind
- How minds change
- Two paths to persuasion
- Knowledge vs beliefs
- Motivated reasoning
- Start where the reader is
- Get the right response
- Authority
- Go to a higher level
- Let the reader decide
- Social proof
- Homophily
- The facts behind beliefs
- Flavours of wrongness
- Show both sides
- Challenge yourself
- Calls to action
Making your message stick
- What makes a message memorable?
- Link to life
- Repetition
- Curiosity and intrigue
- Borrowed interest
- Storytelling
- Humour
- Perspective
- Cultural references
User experience (UX) writing
- What is user experience?
- What does the user want?
- Think context
- Keep it simple
- Users don’t read in order
- Users don’t read, they scan
- No surprises
- Write for the screen
- Frequently asked questions (faqs)
Design and format
- Why looks matter
- Editing while designing
- Giving the reader hand-holds
- Standfirsts
- Heading and subheadings
- Lists
- Panels
- Pullout quotes
- Diagrams
- Images
- Emojis
Beating the blank page
- Why writing is so hard
- Write through the bad to reach the good
- Write for yourself first
- Emergent writing
- Write to learn
- Leave a gap and circle back
- Organic writing
- Take a break
- Use your energy wisely
- Sharpen the saw
Editing and rewriting
- Writing is just the start
- The awesome power of rewriting
- How to edit
- Editing checklist
- How many drafts?
- Write first, then edit
- It’s about time
- How to cut
- Learn to love cutting
- Kill your darlings
Getting feedback
- How feedback helps
- Get close to your reader
- What to ask
- Ask them to explain
- Favour first-time feedback
- Weighing up feedback
- Feedback and your feelings