"When you read that sentence, you are able to follow the story only by translating that abstraction back into the experience that the reader started with. It would have been much better for the writer to devote her energy to depicting the experience more vividly so that when you read it, it’s the sensing part of your brain that lights up, not the figuring-out part. As it is, the figuring-out part of your brain goes to work and communicates to the sensing part of your brain."
Gosh, I struggle with this sometimes. I can easily assume that, because the images seem vivid and easy to access when I scan what I've written, it will make just as much sense to other readers. One of the tactics I employ is to read what I’ve written out loud to myself. If I start to get confused while doing so, that means I need to do a rewrite.
"When you read that sentence, you are able to follow the story only by translating that abstraction back into the experience that the reader started with. It would have been much better for the writer to devote her energy to depicting the experience more vividly so that when you read it, it’s the sensing part of your brain that lights up, not the figuring-out part. As it is, the figuring-out part of your brain goes to work and communicates to the sensing part of your brain."
Gosh, I struggle with this sometimes. I can easily assume that, because the images seem vivid and easy to access when I scan what I've written, it will make just as much sense to other readers. One of the tactics I employ is to read what I’ve written out loud to myself. If I start to get confused while doing so, that means I need to do a rewrite.