Julie Broad explains how to make non-fiction books less boring by using five practical writing techniques: challenge assumptions about readers (give surprising, specific facts), write to a single imagined person with concrete needs, use cinematic/movie-like description, allow readers to fill in gaps by implying details, and favor brevity and punchy phrasing over over-explaining.
Chapters
Number one Challenge your assumptions about your reader. Let's say you are explaining CTA instead of defining immediately. Here's what a CTA is. It's a call to action. You could say most marketing books will tell you to include a cta, but did you know placing that call to action you want someone to take at the beginning of an email instead of at the end can increase conversions by 30%. Here's why. Idea 2 Write to a specific person, not the whole world. Picture Sarah standing in front of that airport kiosk with trying to figure out what she should order that won't make her bloated and feel gross on the plane and blow up her diet. Just write to her and say, I know the struggle. Airport food courts are a nutritional disaster. I know it's hard, but I promise every airport has these five options and they taste good. And pack a protein punch. Right? Something like that. Number three Go to Hollywood. Write it like a movie. Instead of saying I struggled with confidence as a speaker, describe it in your words. Something like As I walked to the podium, my heart pounded so loud I was sure the front row could hear it. I adjusted the mic and my voice cracked on the first word and my mouth was so dry I didn't even think words would come out. Number four Let the reader fill in the gaps. So instead of saying something like, the CEO stormed into the boardroom, slammed her laptop shut, and said, we need to talk about our falling revenue. What if you said the door slammed, the laptop snapped, snap shut, Silence. Then we need to talk. This keeps them engaged and wanting to know more. Number five Less is more. Over explaining, it's not so good, so let's avoid it. Instead of saying something like, the best way to improve your public speaking is to practice regularly. Repetitions help build confidence, improve speech clarity, and reduce nervousness over time. Grammatically, that's perfectly correct. But a whole book of that? It's going to get boring. Now try Public speaking is like working out. Do it consistently and you get stronger. Skip it and you stay weak. It's punchier, it's shorter, it's more memorable.
