Show readers where you're going
Plant roadsigns to help readers follow your argument. Then they'll stay with you on surprising turns — or when you throw in a kangaroo.
Today let’s think about how to guide your reader through the twists and turns of your thinking. (Quick review: So far, in this series on persuasive writing, we’ve looked at 1) the differences between specialist and public writing, 2) defining your audience, 3) tricks for getting out your first draft, 4) grabbing someone’s attention right away, and 5) roughing out your main ideas.)
Make sure you explain each idea
Read over your draft. Think about each point you’re trying to make. How clear is it to your imagined audience — your Aunt Roxanne or your neighbor the dentist? From my experience as an editor, I am certain that you could make it clearer.
So read it over again. Put a pair of slashes every time you move from one key idea to the next. The next couple of sentences should be explaining that idea’s nuances, evidence, or reason for being there. If you realize you’ve explained that idea in several places, consolidate it in one place. Then add your // sign when you turn to a new idea.
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Use road signs when your argument takes a turn
Now go back through. Replace your // marks with a short, clear sentence — a road sign — that signals the turn you are taking from one idea to the next. Announce the importance of what you’re about to explain… and then explain it. You might include subheads, like the ones in this newsletter, so readers can quickly scan your key points.
Consider some examples of road signs:
“Imagine that you are [fill in dilemma here.] What do you do?”
“I think this is a smart decision, and here’s why.”
“Even if the facts are clear, the law is often complex.”
“That may sound shocking. Let me explain.”
“Of course, that’s bad enough. But here’s the larger problem.”
Steal others’ tricks
How can you do this well?
When you are reading — substacks, opeds, essays — stop and reread something that was well written. Pay attention to the road signs that signal a turn from one idea to the next. Maybe you’ll find the well-worn structural device of “But to explain X, first I have to tell you about Y.” Or maybe you’ll notice some other clever way of jumping like a kangaroo ( ←see what I did there?), nevertheless keeping your attention as the essay shifts from here to there.
Steal their rhetorical tricks. (Like tossing in a kangaroo!) Just be sure that your sentence is as clear as the best of the signs above.
And as always, reach out to me if you want help.