Writing for the Reader's Brain
Writing for the Reader's Brain
$90.00
USDWhat makes one sentence easy to read and another a slog that demands rereading? Where do you put information you want readers to recall? What about details you need to reveal but want readers to forget? Drawing on cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and psycholinguistics, this book provides a practical guide on how to write for your reader. Its chapters introduce the five 'Cs' of writing – clarity, continuity, coherence, concision, and cadence – and demonstrate how to use these features to bring your writing to life. This science-based guide also shows you how to improve your writing while also making the writing process speedier and more efficient. Brimming with examples, this humorous, surprisingly irreverent book provides writers with the tools they need to master everything from an email to a research project. If you believe good writers are simply born that way, Writing for the Reader's Brain will change your mind – and, quite possibly, your life.
- Provides worked examples of all writing principles from published sources in mainstream publications
- Uses ordinary language to describe how reading and writing work, making principles immediately accessible and applicable
- Includes inter-chapters which address different ways to make writing speedier and more efficient, including writing from the top-down to speed research and using paradoxes to make research projects memorable
Reviews & endorsements
'Your readers will thank you for reading Writing for the Reader's Brain. Dr. Douglas' science-based approach will have you writing works that are understood and enjoyed.' Nicholas Ellinger, Chief Brand Officer at Moore
'This book shows you the truth about writing, and how it works systematically. The reader will learn new things about an age-old pursuit: how to be a better writer. I never thought a science-based guide to writing would help a fledging writer, but this approach is the panacea we need.' Lybi Ma, Executive Editor, Psychology Today
'Douglas' advice has been crucial to refining my writing for research, international business, and grant writing. I consider her work invaluable in teaching writers to use clarity and concision in a world with an ever-shrinking attention span. Good writing opens doors!' Kurt Shultz, Senior Director of Global Strategies, US Grains Council
'The way most students are currently taught to research, write, and revise academic papers is a recipe for frustration. As an antidote, Douglas offers straightforward, evidence-based guidance to transform academic writing from an intimidating and meandering process to a clear-cut and efficient one. Her visionary wisdom about writing will help students replace anxiety with confidence, connect deeply with their research topics, and craft engaging and intelligent papers that they will be proud of.' Erica Jorgensen, author of Strategic Content Design
Product details
December 2024Hardback
9781009221832
300 pages
229 × 152 × 18 mm
0.595kg
Not yet published - available from February 2025
Table of Contents
- 1. Writing is a system, not an art
- Getting writing done: stages in the writing process
- 2. Clarity: choosing words and building sentences
- Getting writing done: what you read influences how you write
- 3. Continuity: tying sentences together
- Getting writing done: writing collaboratively
- 4. Coherence: structuring paragraphs and texts
- Getting writing done: standard English is a dialect
- 5. Concision: maximizing efficiency, minimizing words
- Getting writing done: writing from the top down
- 6. Cadence: making sentences sophisticated and rhythmic
- Getting writing done: harness the power of paradox
- Supplement: grammar and punctuation made (relatively) painless
- Answers to test your chops
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index.
