on writing

5 Snackable Ways to Boost Readability & Make Your Readers Stay

Add some punch to your story. Don’t miss 3 & 4 — new in town.

Leftovers are always a dread — nobody wants to have them.

But my granny knew otherwise. She would take the same leftovers, add some more flavors, toss in some zing, and put them on the table. Before we knew it, they were all gone.

She knew how to turn something dreadful into snackable.

The same goes for content. No matter how valuable your content is, if the same is not consumable and engaging, chances are that it may go undiscovered.

Or waste, like the leftovers.

The onus of grabbing the reader's attention falls on you — the writer.

But how?

Know your reader

Before we make more snackable content, let’s know something about the reader.

• The reader is impatient. The reader has the cursor on the ‘back’ button even before they read a story. It helps to keep this image in mind while writing something.
• Chances are they are reading on a phone. With the bulk of content going online and people consuming them on the go, 85% chances are they are reading this content on a mobile.
• Not just milk, they also skim content. The reader wants the crux of the matter distinctively served for them. No layering or wrapping, please.

So, now that I have introduced you to your reader, time to move on to adding the zing.

How to add flavor to the content?

Three ingredients:

— Engaging — Readable — Skimmable

1. Make the first sentence short and exciting.

Let the reader nibble it.

Hook the reader. Take them off-guard. I always start with something personal or off-track and then blend it into the topic. It gets the reader excited to get more such treats.

“Rolling, Action, Jump, Hospital” is the way Jackie Chan says he does his stunts.

Isn’t it what writers also do — Draft, Edit, Publish, Repeat.

How’s that for a start?

2. Break the monotony

Do not hypnotize the reader into a slumber.

I came across an interesting topic yesterday. I clicked on the story, and as I glanced at it, it was a series of text-heavy paragraphs.

I ditched.

But then I returned because the headline was excellent (full points). And it turned out that the content was great! And that inspired me for this story.

You do not want to be in such a situation. So, keep changing tracks.

3. Make text images

Give the same lemonade in a sexier glass.

Just like I did above and below.

The one above is a screenshot from Reedsy (embed feature. It’s pretty simple.

>Go to ‘Reedsy’> Click ‘My Books’> Select ‘Create a New Book’> Write any title> select ‘Write’> Paste the text> Select the test> Select the Embed Option

The dash of color is a welcome change; you must agree. Okay, now the next one.

It is a screenshot of text written on Word Doc with central alignment.

There is no dearth of tricks one can do by tweaking little things. Keep trying.

4. The Triangulation format

And the funnel format.

This one is interesting. In this, you need to arrange your text in a formation. For example:

This is a wonderful exercise.

This trains your mind to

hunt for that word, &

design the format,

to fit in the best

orientation.

See that?

Great!

See the effect? Immediately you draw your reader’s eyes to that. It is a great way to ensure that the reader does not miss the message.

A suggestion: reserve it for the most crucial part. If used many times, it loses its exclusivity.

The Funnel variation:

Use variety in the content to keep the interest of the reader going. That is the sole purpose of a writer.

To bring the reader go to the next line.

5. Snip snip snip — trim the fat

Guilty of the charge — redundancy.

Till recently, I have been making this mistake. But now I am wiser. I know how to separate the chaff.

For example, you must have come across this sentence above. Initially, it was:

There is no dearth of things one can manage to do by tweaking little things.

Can you spot the fluff? It’s ‘manage to.’ Now read it without that. Same.

So, here is a list of exercises to shed the excess fat:

• Passive voice. Drop it; be active. Using the active voice results in a shorter sentence and does not cloud its meaning. Try to pluck out a passive one.
• The Fillers. The -ly words. Definitely, literally, absolutely, totally, basically, highly. The exaggeration! Spare the reader. Another set of fillers is: just, tend to, manage to, very, kind of. Goodbye.
• Uninvited phrases: They drop by easily. Examples: something like that, for what it’s worth, believe me, due to the fact that, in order to, I mean. There is no dearth of things one can do by tweaking little things. Close the door, please.
• The orgasmic words: Oh! Ah! Hmm, Er, So, Um. Sounding casual and chatty are two different things. Keep a note of that.

Final thoughts

It is not about how much you can write but how much value you can add to the words.

Writing need not be bland. There is always room for some fizz. Add it.

Repeat after me:

• Today’s reader is impatient and wants everyone to come quickly to the point.
• The content needs to be mobile-friendly because that’s where they are reading it.
• Start with a hook line—a whiff of freshness that lures the reader into the story.
• No hypnotizing the reader with thick text-spurts. Toss some formatting elements, infuse white spaces, and kill the drudgery.
• Use the smart text images. Add some color and zing to the writing.
• Text designing. Imbibe designing to writing. Play with variations & formations. Bring home the story.
• Trim excess fat. Discard unnecessary and redundant words/phrases that sneak in innocuously into your writing. Stay alert.

That’s all about adding tang and zest to your story.

Happy writing!

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