There's a lot of writing going on out there in the blogosphere and it's changing the way people write. Most of it is inconsequential -- a lot of noise. But some of it is important, indeed profound. These authors are writing to be heard. They are thinking about their readers and writing so that readers want to "follow" them. Without gatekeepers, like editors, publishers and critics, these writers are finding ways to resonate with their audience. Of course, children's nonfiction authors know how to do this. Many of us have even had to educate our gatekeepers. Our readers are never out of our minds. Here's what we've learned from the school of hard knocks: When you don't have a captive audience, you must become captivating.
First you have to get the reader's attention, then you have to keep it. Easier said than done. The devil is always in the details and I'm not sure that it ever gets any easier. But recently I've discovered that Twitter and Twitter Chats can sharpen communication skills. The strength of Twitter is its 140-character limit. In effect, it's good training for writing powerful advertising copy. A good tweet spurs the reader into action--to retweet (send it on to others) or to visit a link where the tweet's subject is spelled out in greater depth. There's a Web site that is pulling "pearls of wisdom" from Tweetchats and they will soon be publishing them as books. Here's an example of insightful tweets from a leadership chat about "vision."
This blog on Education Update is not really a blog. It is more like op-ed opinion columns. A true blogger writes short and often (daily, if possible). One of the best is Seth Godin, who writes about marketing but is a very successful self-published guru -- his program on the future of publishing in New York City was sold out within hours of its announcement. In order to be successful, new posts have to come frequently and have to resonate with readers. Often, people who have a "viral" success with a video on YouTube can't do much with it because it is truly a "flash in the pan." Only people with singular intellects can sustain high quality of blogging day after day, year after year.
How does one become a writer who resonates? First, you have to speak the language of your audience. Most children's book authors write for the child they were. They don't focus-group children. When I was 10, I recall listening to an adult telling me, in a very patronizing manner, how life was when he was a kid. I remember thinking that he wasn't remembering childhood correctly. At that moment I vowed to myself that I would never forget what it was like to be a child. I had a sense of myself as a person, one who had a lot yet to learn, but not to be dismissed as someone who was unintelligent or unaware. If you don't speak "child" when you write for children it is quickly spotted by the gatekeepers and rejection slips inevitably follow.
Second, never underestimate the intelligence of your readership or overestimate their prior knowledge. The first makes sure that your tone is not patronizing. The second makes sure that they "get" what you're saying. It is only when you are clear and accessible that you demonstrate mastery of concepts. This runs counter to some writers who believe that inaccessibility manifests erudition.
Third, you have to know when you've said enough. Eyes tend to glaze over with too much information.
If this post is the first one of mine you've read, then I have failed if it is also the last.
Leave a comment