Ann Wylie’s blog of writing tips

How to get the hyperbole out of your web page

Improve your fact-to-fluff ratio

Readers are busy. Fluff takes space. Space takes time. So let’s cut the fluff and get on with it.

To cut the fluff, aim for a fact-to-fluff ratio of at least 1:1.… Read the full article

Short-form digital content helps readers choose

Too many options paralyze people

Here’s a famous story among persuasion researchers and Malcolm Gladwell fans:

When a researcher offered shoppers 24 types of jam, many customers stopped by for a sample, but only 3% made a purchase.… Read the full article

Stop wasting web visitors’ time with puffery, hype

Web visitors ‘get visibly angry’ at verbose sites

Here’s an interesting dichotomy: Killing time is the killer app for mobile devices. But mobile users are in a hurry and “get visibly angry” at verbose sites that waste their time.… Read the full article

What lede (or lead) should you use for web content?

4 types of web leads to try — and 3 to avoid

Lede or lead?

You won’t find it in the Oxford English Dictionary. But the alternative spelling lede was supposedly created during the linotype era so as not to confuse lead with the strip of metal that was used to separate lines of type.… Read the full article

Reading paper vs. computer screen

Reading online hurts readers’ eyes, their bodies, their brains

I don’t know about you, but one of my goals in life is to never write anything that makes my readers throw up, resign or forget where they parked their car.… Read the full article

What are the problems with reading on mobile devices?

Mobile reading costs time, attention, understanding and action

You may have heard that social scientists recently added a new item on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

The classic model of what drives human nature looked like this back in the day:

Self actualization: the feeling of doing what you were put on this planet to do
Esteem: feeling good about yourself and what you do
Social needs: having love, a tribe, companionship
Safety and security: not being afraid of getting eaten by a tiger
Physiological needs: food and shelter

Our modern world has revealed another, even more basic human need …