Writing for a short attention span
If you are writing non-fiction for the general public, you will surely be aware that readers have shorter attention spans than they did in the past. By ‘non-fiction’, I mean information books, reports, website copy, blog posts like this, or anything business-related.
Whatever it is, there are many things to distract readers these days. If you want to keep them engaged, you need to feed them facts and interest. And quickly.
Here’s how it used to be… Delve with me into my grandmother’s copy of Modern Typewriting and Manual of Office Procedure (11th edition, 1919). What’s immediately striking is the dense coverage of words on the page. The print is small. The sentences are wordy. You scan desperately for a distant paragraph break like a marathon runner gasping for the next watering station.
It’s hard going, even for those actually interested in early 20th-century office protocol. (Really, you neither?)
It’s very different now. A proofreader can sort out your typos and grammar so that mistakes don’t detract from your message. But the bigger picture – the text as a whole – also needs to keep readers focused.
Watch this space
I’m going to assume that you know a lot about your writing topic – your business, profession or hobby. You’re passionate about that knowledge. You’re rightly proud of your achievements. You are the expert.
So you have a lot you want to say.
It’s tempting to write everything you know, in great detail, to prove your credentials. So how can you keep your readers interested in what’s important without them becoming daunted or - worse - just bored?
Well, it’s the places where the writing isn’t that help to highlight your main message.
The spaces.
The pauses.
The bits that effectively say, “It’s OK – you can take a mini break now.” Or “Ooh… Something new coming up!”
Spaces draw attention to the writing, just as a frame draws attention to a picture.
To create interesting space on the page, you can ask yourself questions, such as:
Is there variety in paragraph and sentence length?
Are the longer sentences easy to understand or do they need re-wording?
Does breaking up that sentence or paragraph feel disjointed, or does it make the reader want to move on and find out what’s next?
Would lists look better with bullet points or are some of them fine as part of a sentence?
Shall I show off with a semi-colon or would a dash be easier to see and understand?
Is all of this information actually needed?
This list is by no means exhaustive, and sometimes the answers won’t be obvious. (Sorry about that. But if editing was quick and easy, everyone could manage it.)
It’s worth the trouble
You can be your own editor, and make those decisions yourself. Or you can ask a professional. But somebody needs to give serious thought to making your message easy to read.
Of course, much will depend on your target audience. But, unless they’re reading purely for pleasure, everyone is short of time these days. So if you take the trouble to make your writing concise and clear, any reader will thank you. Who knows - some of them may even read to the end!
I was going to add something really important here but a new video of kittens has popped up on Facebook and it’s completely gone out of my head.
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Catherine Kendal is a freelance editor and proofreader based in Suffolk. She likes nothing better than getting stuck into the nitty-gritty details that writers often avoid.
Working as Pernickety Kate, she asks three main questions: Does this bit work? If not, why not? What can be done about it?
Explore Pernickety Kate’s blog or get in touch for help with your writing.