You've written something. But before you hit “publish” you're worried about how some readers will react. Will they like what you wrote? Will they dislike it?
The answer is “yes” to both.
That's because each reader has a different context. If you write to one ideal reader, you have a good shot of finding readers who enjoy your work.
No writer can control how readers react. All writers can do is control how much they write and—maybe—how well they write this piece.
But writers—especially nonfiction writers—can help themselves by understanding what pushes readers away.
Readers Dislike Writing for Many Reasons
While I can't speak for all readers, here are some of my reasons for disliking some writing:
- I could not follow the logic. Or the logic was wrong. (I'm seeing too much AI writing with too many hallucinations for me to enjoy.)
- The writing was too dense for me. Sometimes, that's a lack of subheadings. Other times, the readability score is so low, I'm not sure who could read it.
- The writer offered bad advice. I unsubscribed from a fellow writer's substack the other day because he was wrong. (I didn't just disagree with him. He offered terrible advice.)
And I'm just one person! Each reader has his or her own opinion.
In the same vein, nonfiction writers can help by learning what readers enjoy about their writing.
What Readers Like About a Writer's Writing
Here are some typical reasons readers like some nonfiction writing:
- Some readers read for the author's “voice.” That's the cadence of their sentences, the choice of words, and how the writer sounds in the reader's head. Some of my readers love my voice, and read across my various writing genres. I love that! But it doesn't happen all the time.
- The writing pulled the reader through the entire piece. The reader did not stop reading—even if the reader did not agree with what the writer wrote.
- The writing intrigued the reader to learn something and maybe change their mind.
Writers can't be mind readers. The same piece might push some readers away and pull some readers in. Then there are the readers who decide what this piece says.
Readers Don't Always Read “Right”
Some readers confuse our writing with other people's. Or these readers read something we did not write into this particular piece.
Long ago, one reader told me he appreciated the Gantt charts in Manage It!.
I was surprised and said, “There are no Gantt Charts in that book.” Now, I would just say, “Thank you,” and not argue with him. Live and learn.
But we can't control what readers read or how they attribute what they think they read to us.
The better question is this: why do you care?
Why Some Writers Care What Readers Think
Too often, writers say, “If people like my work, I'll know I'm a good writer.”
Nope.
That just means that some writers enjoyed this particular piece.
We can only be good writers with practice. And sometimes, practice means we experiment to learn. Worse, some of those experiments “fail” in the writing, but succeed in the learning.
That's how we become better writers.
Want to find your readers, the ones who enjoy your work? Write more. Publish more. And consider joining me in the Q1 2025 Writing Workshop. You'll have many chances to practice and see what makes you a better writer, a writer whose readers enjoy your writing.
See all the posts in this intermittent series of “writing secrets.”