Writing for the Reader's Brain: A Science-Based Guide

by Yellowlees Douglas

What makes one sentence easy to read and another a slog that demands re-reading? 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, how-to guide on how to write for your reader. It introduces the five 'Cs' of writing – clarity, continuity, coherence, concision, and cadence – and demonstrates how to use these to bring your writing to life. It also shows you how to do all this whilst 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.

Genres: Nonfiction

300 pages, Hardcover

Published December 12, 2024

Reviews

[Ervin Colston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very good book. The author definitely practices what she preaches, which made this book an addictive read. I finally feel like I can write with confidence, and I will continue to learn from this book for years to come.

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

ironically overwritten, but has nuggets of wisdom between infuriating similes, self congratulatory anecdotes, and condescending references to chat gpt/Tik Tok/etc.