WRITING TIPS

THE RIGHT WORD. THE CLEAR WORD. THE CONCISE WORD

"The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter—'tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning. " Mark Twain

BEFORE:

First, you must properly incubate the turkey, which requires copious amounts of thermal radiation to chemically convert the flesh to a point where the meat is rendered edible.

AFTER:

Put the turkey in the oven and wait.

Online, the eye moves fast: unnecessary clutter is cumbersome. Most introductory clauses can be eliminated. A good writer cuts to the chase, tells it like it is.

NO-- "Even for a porcupine, you're a prick." YES-- "YOU'RE A PRICK."

The swifter the better. The first isn't funny, but the second, by relying on the image to relay the information that we are talking porcupines here, bypasses unwanted language, and makes the brain connection faster, creating a funnier caption.

THEORY OF MIND

FOCUS ON THE USER

Theory of Mind is a recent concept from Neuroscience, the idea that we are aware of other people having brains like us, and because of that we can imaginiately walk in their shoes. It is the recognition that someone else has similar emotions, feelings, ways of putting together a world view. Theory of Mind allows us to be empathetic, but it also means we aware of another person's motivations. The concept is essential to good UX Writing. It's all about getting inside someone else's head.

How you say something matters--the TONE, the VOICE. Words are power. They carry connotations and associations that trigger the brain to think one way instead of another.

After 20 years of marriage, THEORY OF MIND taught me that my husband probably does not have a brain.

LET THE ACTOR ACT

IMPORTANT INFORMATION- GET IT OUT THERE--

Put it Up Front

I'm not an Egotist! I'm just PUTTING MY IMPORTANT INFORMATION UP FRONT!

GET BELOW THE LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS

STUDIES IN NEUROSCIENCE have shown that the brain is essentially, as Neuroscientist Antonio Damasio puts it, a feeling machine that thinks, rather than a thinking machine that feels. What moves an audience, or a reader, are elements that stir emotion, located in the ancient parts of the brain. An understanding of how the brain works, and why it responds to certain stimuli is crucial to creating words and images that elicit a response and generate action.

KEEP IT CONVERSATIONAL--

as if you are really talking to somebody, using everyday words