A new form of writing

We all learned to write in more or less the same way: Beginning, middle, end; Subject, predicate, object; Thesis, antithesis, synthesis. Beyond consisting of three items, each of these approaches shares another common theme: Inclusion. Everything necessary to understand the point is expressed explicitly on the page.

But when you write for the Web as you'd write for print, you write too long. You waste the reader's time explaining what she already knows.

When we write for the Web, we should use the Web's strengths to our advantage. This begins with thinking a little bit deeper about how information is constructed, because the Web can offer writers the benefit of  both clarity and brevity.

This post is an example: If you already recognized the concepts I used to build my argument, you're almost done reading. If you didn't, you can follow the links and read my explanations. And if you follow each back to its beginning, you'll find some definitive statements. Referencing one definitive statement for any concept or fact is an idea software engineers call "The DRY Principle," and I believe it's important to the future of both journalism and civilization.

Learning to write this way is a bit like playing three-dimensional chess, but it also reminds me of The Glass Bead Game. Sadly, writers today lack the technological tools and display conventions that would fully support and reward the required effort. But I suspect the ideas demonstrated here could lead us toward new ways of thinking and communicating that are far better adapted to the world we now inhabit.

Notes.

Image: This post as a rough semantic outline.Click to see full-size.

Comments

[Sue]

We have another form of writing that's both consistent with our industry a/w/a kinda cool if you like glass.

That's a big marble table with a solid glass (tempered) top with liquid chalk pens easily available at Amazon or Staples. It's how we run through Web designs AND network architecture. Funny thing - you get used to the medium: we've written on at least one restaurant tabletop (a few strokes) and spent most of the meal trying to wash it off :)

[Sue]

And my point was: it's not only about how info is constructed - which leads us to - it's also about how it's displayed. The Web is highly visual (as are almost all of our clients).

[Dan]

True, true, true.

[Coturnix]

Did first Sue's comment have a picture? I thought I saw it when I checked on iPhone, but do not see it in Firefox (blocked image?).

[Dan]

Yep, Bora, it did. And for some reason I've been unable to write tags into comments this week. I checked my settings and they looked good for HTML, so I'm not sure what's happened. Sounds like I need to put in a ticket.

[Daniel]

As is the case with design, simplicity is king. Design your writing the same way a designer would create a tool.

Look at the iPhone. Look at Google. Both are successful because of their simplicity. Your writing can function the same way.