Chapter 1 of 10All chapters
Chapter 1 of 10
Start with the reader
Who, and what they need.
Purpose and audience
Ask what the reader must know or do afterwards and what they already know. Every decision about vocabulary, length and structure follows from that.
- Writing for everyone usually means writing for nobody.
- Assume attention is scarce and skimming is the default.
Answer first
Put the conclusion, request or recommendation at the top. Building up to a point works in a story and fails in a document someone reads while doing three other things.