Dec 24
The attention span of average Internet dwellers is minuscule.
Embrace this idea or your writing will forever suffer the consequences.
Everyone is pressed for time, so do your audience a huge favor: spend a little more of your time to intentionally shorten their reading time.
In General
Broad or complex topics should be divided into separate "chunks" (i.e. articles, sections, or bullet points)
Remove or translate all the jargon; if that is not possible, define each term at the first use.
Say more with less: Short paragraphs, sentences, phrases, even words.
The aim is not to dumb down your material, but to convey your ideas so that they can be understood quickly.
The faster your audience can read & understand your material, the more likely they are to finish reading.
Readers’ ability to quickly understand your writing, will place you in the arena of their favorite authors.
Specifics
Keep paragraphs short: 1-3 sentences.
Keep sentences short: break apart sentences longer than 2 lines.
Keep words as short as possible, without being repetitious.
Eschew ostentatious manifestations when displaying your exceptional erudition, as that might be perceived as off-putting by lesser beings.
In other words, don't be a show-off. The author's role is to promote learning, not self-aggrandizement.
Use numerals in place of the word (i.e. '4' instead of 'four') as they are more quickly grasped.
When possible, present your data as a list (numbered or bullets).
Avoid repeating recently presented information. It is annoying, & looks like fluff.
In Closing
In your final paragraph ask for a specific action. This is so fundamental to all sales efforts that it has its own 3 letter designation: CTA (which stands for Call To Action).
Lest we feel superior to those who sell merchandise for a living, as writers we too are selling something: our ideas, opinions, & other mental musings.
Whenever possible, help ease the reader into action by providing practical examples or a short list of targeted resources.
As both an example of a CTA & the actual CTA for this article, consider this:
Now that you are aware of the importance of short writing, how do you plan to implement the theory into your own future writing?
For full marks, write down your answer.
For extra credit, write your answer in the Comments.
Tags: Writing, Attention, Span, Short, Numerals, Future.
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