“Everyone knows this” is what some might think instead of looking up some most common mistakes. As the result they make them over and over. It is hard for us to imagine that we do not know something if we have done this a few times already. People assume that the whole world knows the words they use while writing essays or articles, that the facts they know are common knowledge. As a result, a writer does not think about what the reader might not know. It is called the "curse of knowledge".
What Is It?
Talking about the "curse of knowledge" we can remind the story of Henry Ford. Once he took two the most unclever managers and made them the "control group". All instructions to other workers must have been read at first by those two managers. If both of them understood what is written equally, then the instruction was confirmed. Try to imagine that your text will be read by someone from that couple, and then you will not write as if you are going to the conference in physics.
Avoid Extra Confidence
We are too confident in our own ability to understand what others think. This is why professional writers have professional editors. Do not be upset if you have not got one. Just ask your friends or parents, sometimes they are even better than professionals.
Do not Hide the Main Idea
Tell your reader what is your main statement about. Say it right away. People need the foothold in order to follow your thought. Otherwise, they will get lost. Readers must always think out the details on their own, read between the lines. It means that to understand the text they should rely upon their background knowledge. If they do not understand what is required, each fragment of the text will be too evasive and superficial for them. As a result, the text will appear unintelligible. From the very first lines, an author should let the reader understand what is the theme of his text and what is the main idea.
How to Help It?
Are you worried that this will kill your intrigue? Once again, stop acting too smart. Be clear. Intrigue does not have any sense if people cannot understand what you are talking about and give up on reading after the first paragraph. If you are not a talented detective writer or comic, try not let fog into your work. The person who reads your text should understand where are you taking them to.
Taking into account the amount of information which falls on the heads of an average person we do not have right to confuse them by forcing them to solve a riddle.
Useful Scheme
If you want to encourage somebody for certain changes with your example, do not try to be subtle and just tell your story. Make it be the case of "signal-action-result-appreciation-sense" scheme:
- Signal is something that was the reason of changes
- Then comes information. These are your thoughts about the question, why you were touched by it, what was going bad, your search for the decision.
-
- Actions which you undertook.
- The result. What has changed?
- Your appreciation to the new experience. How your notion of yourself, of the situation and of the surroundings have changed?
- New sense. New understanding of life which helped you to understand that life is breathtaking or at least worth cherishing.