UX Journey

The apparent contradiction between “don’t lose the reader to distraction” and “write for yourself, not for the reader” is more of a tension that you are being asked to maintain than a rational inconsistency. I break down the two impulses here, explain how they function at various levels and phases, and offer useful advice for managing them so that your work remains honest and successful.

The reader must not be diverted. This is a tactical, craft-level guideline. It concerns the economics of attention, which includes a clear structure, pacing, hooks, signals, and the elimination of friction (such as awkward language, irrelevant digressions, and perplexing organization). Its goal is to communicate: to make sure the concepts get across, the reader is kept interested, and there are no barriers to understanding. When you look at it this way, one cares about the reader’s experience of the text, and the other cares about the author’s motivation for writing it.

When writing, you frequently write for yourself: follow your curiosity, note your findings, and allow strange connections to occur. During revision, you write for the reader by pruning, reordering, clarifying, and adding signposts. The first one makes stuff, while the second one shapes it into something that speaks. “Write for yourself” maintains your unique perspective, preventing readers from becoming bored by generic writing. “Don’t lose the reader” guarantees that uniqueness is packaged in a way that others can receive it. Craft without authenticity may be forgotten; authenticity without craft may be unintelligible. Writing for oneself can include writing for one’s inner reader, which is the part of oneself that recognizes nuances and omissions. The internal reader’s shorthand is converted by revision into the language of the external reader, who does not have that intimate understanding.

Avoid “write for yourself” when it turns into an excuse by doing the following. Force yourself to express the notion in a single statement after writing a creative draft. You should likely provide readers with additional clarification if you are unable to. Reading aloud is another option, where you can hear the reader’s potential stumbling blocks. Also helpful is using a new reader as a gauge. Make sure to pose a specific question, such as “Where were you lost?”

However, if “don’t lose the reader” becomes pandering, here is how to remedy it. Ensure that there is at least one obstinate, unique feature that you won’t get rid of. It maintains a unique viewpoint. In addition, make reader-focused changes that improve your voice (clarify imagery, tighten structure) rather than change it. The two pieces of advice are complementary: use “write for yourself” to produce honest, interesting material; use “don’t lose the reader” as the revision discipline that shapes that material into writing others can and will read. Hold both at once — protect your voice, then refine how it reaches people.