How to stay explicit

How to stay explicit with your writing

Welcome to the third lesson where we'll explore the art of maintaining clarity and explicitness in your writing.

What do we mean by being explicit in your writing?

Mainly, you don't want to be over-explaining and complicating concepts that could be conveyed more effectively with brevity. Rembling on trying to make something seem clearer can actually confuse your readers, and even make them feel as if you think they aren't capable of understanding your concepts. Be explicit, be clear, and be succinct: your writing will improve and your readers will appreciate it!

Here's how you can be explicit in your writing:

Know your reader:

To write explicitly, you must understand your audience, their context when reading your work, and their knowledge level on the topic. Audience research is the key to explicit writing.

Provide links for complex ideas:

If a topic can't be explained in a single sentence without deviating from your main subject, consider providing a link to external sources. Don't fear linking away from your work if it enhances clarity.

Use asides, tooltips, and top tips:

Incorporating asides, tooltips, or top tips as out-of-text boxes can visually guide readers, helping them distinguish between core content and additional insights. Just like in the example below, the extra info comes in a stand-out box.

Leverage visuals:

Visual aids and graphic designs can effectively replace lengthy paragraphs when explaining complex concepts. Sometimes, a picture truly is worth a thousand words.

Take a look at this example from a Chameleon blog I wrote. Each product adoption metric is accompanied with a graphic to help summarize the how-to.

Write for aliens:

This encourages approaching topics from unique angles and avoiding assumptions. Ask yourself, "Have I explained this for aliens?" to simplify complex subjects.

"Kill Your Darlings": the pursuit of simplicity:

Don't get too attached to your writing; sometimes, a beautiful sentence may not serve simplicity. Ask if your words are needed and valuable, or if you're just attached to their sound. In simplicity, your reader may find true beauty.

Whether you're writing for fiction or non-fiction being explicit will be crucial to not losing your readers halfway. However, know that there will be many more "darlings to kill" in non-fiction writing, but don't believe that everything goes for fiction writing. Learn which words are adding real descriptions and emotional connections, and which are just fluffy and confusing your audience.

Join us in the next lesson, where we'll delve into the art of writing vulnerably to connect more deeply with your readers.

See you in the next lesson to learn how to write vulnerably and relate to your readers!

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Module Reading Material:

The article mentioned: 10 Product Adoption Metrics to Track for Product-Led Growth by Ray Berry