So a big part of writing clearly is to start where the reader is now, and talk to them – not just at them.

You work hard so the reader doesn’t have to. As they read, nothing trips them up or gets in the way; the ideas just seem to flow from the page or screen into their mind.[3] And because their reading experience is a positive one, they’re far more likely to learn new things, accept new ideas or change the way they act.

When we talk about ‘writing’, we think about the act of choosing words and putting them on to a page or a screen. That puts the focus on ourselves – our ideas, our decisions and our goals. In reality, writing is a story with two sides.

Since every writing project is different, there’s no magic formula for clear writing that will work in every situation.

Easy reading is damn hard writing. Nathaniel Hawthorne

Let’s say I’m writing a beginner’s guide to looking after your lawn. When I go to Google and start typing ‘can lawn’, I see queries including: can lawn mowers cut wet grass can lawnmowers fly can lawn mowers be stored outside can lawn mowers explode

The content of your writing is the words you put on the page. But just as important is the context in which those words are read – who the reader is, what they know, how they feel and what’s going on for them at the time

For something more precise, head over to quora.com or answers.com, where you can search real people’s questions and answers. At answerthepublic.com, you can see a wide range of questions and searches related to a keyword.

Next time you read something, notice your feelings. How do you feel about this writing, and your experience of reading it? Why?