Writing for people who don’t want to read
By now, interactive writers everywhere have heard the bad news: we’re writing for people who don’t want to read. Online users don’t slowly digest our carefully crafted prose as we once hoped. By and large, they don’t linger over our clever turns of phrase and insightful flights of fancy. They skim and scan, impatient to find the link that will take them to the task or information they need so they can get the heck out, quick. Writing for people who aren’t reading. It’s like being head pastry chef at Nicole Ritchie’s birthday party.
Since specializing in interactive content a few years ago, I’ve grown a new editor in my brain (boy, it’s getting crowded in there). This one pokes me with her red pencil as I write. She squeaks, “No one will read that! Make that sentence shorter. You’re boring people. Oh no–they’re reaching for the back button! Hurry, give them the info they need quick or they’ll leave this site forever!†She’s just trying to help, I know. And it’s important to be clear and concise. But how simple is too simple?
Sometimes, in an effort to slim down the copy to its very bones, originality and humor—important tools for connecting with people—are stripped away too. My goal as a writer is to get out of the user’s way—this is especially true for sites with a utility bent. What’s often left is soulless, albeit user-friendly text. If people don’t really read the copy, it’s okay—they’re not missing much. But if they do? Some might notice it lacks that certain spark.
But there’s always hope. Maybe users will evolve to withstand the eye strain of online reading. Or coffee will become passé, so caffeine-induced skimming will become a problem of the past. Happily, even if these things don’t happen, there are corners of the web where text can stretch out its long limbs. Yes, there are safe houses for lengthy prose, places where it can hide out and not be beaten to a bloody (but concise!) pulp. Newspaper and magazine sites. Blogs. Informational sites for products and services. Even the resources section on task-oriented, no-nonsense sites. All of these have something in common: they’re places users expect to read something longer or less direct by web standards. Which is why the wordier stuff is tolerated.
That’s all for now. That sharp pencil point is jabbing my ribs again.