@Amanda B. Hinton Thank you ... I especially appreciated the reminder about footnotes. Lots of good info here and, @Noha Beshir ... I always look forward to your posts!
I think this topic is one of the places where Substack can really shine as a home for writing. You can build off of specific touchpoints/link back to them and keep building out ideas in future posts.
Thank you for the welcome Amanda, I’m loving what I’ve found here in your articles and community. I have enjoyed using footnotes recently, both to briefly explain a concept or historical reference and to add a personal aside.
This is such a great topic to cover in depth! I’ve been wrestling with this same question since I started writing my memoir. It is not a book about my faith, but there are elements of my faith that factor into my story, and I’ve wanted to find a balance in talking about my faith without alienating a reader who doesn’t share that experience. I have really been in my head about how much is too much, but you are reminding me to just write it - get the story out - then make adjustments later. I *always* forget about the power of a shitty first draft to bring clarity.
p.s. I have shared a couple excerpts in my newsletter and asked for specific feedback on this subject, and I’ve had very positive comments re the tone and balance of it. So I’m encouraged about being on the right track so far.
Great information, Amanda, thank you. I write a lot of pretty technical stuff about drinking water, and this issue does concern me a in a number of areas.
- My posts include examples from my home state of Washington, while my readers are in 41 states and 40 countries! I often mention our state and federal agencies. I'll usually spell them out in full the first time and then use an abbreviation or acronym.
- On the issues, I have a summary post that I keep updated and link to from each post.
- Another concern is units. The other 39 countries use the metric system. Adding the conversion every time would be cumbersome.
- I tend to use inline links rather than footnotes.
I guess I'm expecting my readers to meet me where I am, and so far, it seems to have been OK. I'm realizing that it might be a good idea to write a glossary page for all the acronyms - EPA, PFAS - and unit conversions.
Speaking as just one reader, your willingness to keep me reminded about acronyms etc, and being approachable but not talking down was how I came to follow and value Mostly Water and you as a writer.
Your approach sounds excellent, John. I'd say a page for the acronyms would be a great glossary. I'm toying with the idea of a glossary page too for some key words but I'm undecided.
So excited to use footnotes!😃💡I write on holistic medicine and often review or summarize research articles and it has felt awkward at times to also include necessary background information for readers who may not know some of the scientific terms/concepts.
I use footnotes a lot. Maybe because I love reading them? I think it’s just a great way to expand on an idea or make connections without distracting from the original essay. I write about tarot and I don’t want to get in the weeds of it in every post so I link to past essays, or I try to clarify topics in footnotes for those who have no history with the cards.
Thank you Amanda, this is excellent information. I love the quote from Ingrid to focus on the readers who 'get' me and understand my vantage point and the tips to add in extra info for new folks. As well, it's a great reminder to trust that our readers understand!
Thanks for this post, Amanda! It's really interesting to hear what other people work on explaining in their writing. I thought your guidance to not write primarily for an audience who is not familiar with your terminology was especially helpful.
I struggle with explaining martial arts in my writing, especially aikido practice. I've been training for over ten years, and it's not obvious what people who have never seen aikido would need to know.
Great issue. Thanks to Noha for bring it up, and Mike, and Amanda for addressing it.
I'm writing each week for two types of readers: for someone who will be reading their first post and for someone who has read all my posts.
So my challenge is to write something that is both self-explanatory and new. Of course I will end up repeating myself at times and I will address the same theme using different approaches. But that's ok as long as the writing is sufficiently distinct from what came before.
It's Monday night and I haven't started writing my post for Saturday. Still debating the topic. Starting to feel the pressure to choose.
@Amanda B. Hinton Thank you ... I especially appreciated the reminder about footnotes. Lots of good info here and, @Noha Beshir ... I always look forward to your posts!
Thanks Joyce! I'm so appreciative for Amanda's guidance.
I think this topic is one of the places where Substack can really shine as a home for writing. You can build off of specific touchpoints/link back to them and keep building out ideas in future posts.
Thank you for the welcome Amanda, I’m loving what I’ve found here in your articles and community. I have enjoyed using footnotes recently, both to briefly explain a concept or historical reference and to add a personal aside.
This is such a great topic to cover in depth! I’ve been wrestling with this same question since I started writing my memoir. It is not a book about my faith, but there are elements of my faith that factor into my story, and I’ve wanted to find a balance in talking about my faith without alienating a reader who doesn’t share that experience. I have really been in my head about how much is too much, but you are reminding me to just write it - get the story out - then make adjustments later. I *always* forget about the power of a shitty first draft to bring clarity.
p.s. I have shared a couple excerpts in my newsletter and asked for specific feedback on this subject, and I’ve had very positive comments re the tone and balance of it. So I’m encouraged about being on the right track so far.
Great information, Amanda, thank you. I write a lot of pretty technical stuff about drinking water, and this issue does concern me a in a number of areas.
- My posts include examples from my home state of Washington, while my readers are in 41 states and 40 countries! I often mention our state and federal agencies. I'll usually spell them out in full the first time and then use an abbreviation or acronym.
- On the issues, I have a summary post that I keep updated and link to from each post.
- Another concern is units. The other 39 countries use the metric system. Adding the conversion every time would be cumbersome.
- I tend to use inline links rather than footnotes.
I guess I'm expecting my readers to meet me where I am, and so far, it seems to have been OK. I'm realizing that it might be a good idea to write a glossary page for all the acronyms - EPA, PFAS - and unit conversions.
Speaking as just one reader, your willingness to keep me reminded about acronyms etc, and being approachable but not talking down was how I came to follow and value Mostly Water and you as a writer.
Thank you, Michelle, that is so good to hear.
Your approach sounds excellent, John. I'd say a page for the acronyms would be a great glossary. I'm toying with the idea of a glossary page too for some key words but I'm undecided.
Thanks Noha. I'll share my page as and when I write it.
So excited to use footnotes!😃💡I write on holistic medicine and often review or summarize research articles and it has felt awkward at times to also include necessary background information for readers who may not know some of the scientific terms/concepts.
Thank you for this!
I use footnotes a lot. Maybe because I love reading them? I think it’s just a great way to expand on an idea or make connections without distracting from the original essay. I write about tarot and I don’t want to get in the weeds of it in every post so I link to past essays, or I try to clarify topics in footnotes for those who have no history with the cards.
Thanks for this, Amanda! (And it was a pleasure to join in behind the scenes last week - thanks so much for the opportunity.)
Re. footnotes, Bailey at Art Dogs just published a fine example of their use here: https://artdogs.substack.com/p/patricia-highsmith
Thank you Amanda, this is excellent information. I love the quote from Ingrid to focus on the readers who 'get' me and understand my vantage point and the tips to add in extra info for new folks. As well, it's a great reminder to trust that our readers understand!
Thanks for this post, Amanda! It's really interesting to hear what other people work on explaining in their writing. I thought your guidance to not write primarily for an audience who is not familiar with your terminology was especially helpful.
I struggle with explaining martial arts in my writing, especially aikido practice. I've been training for over ten years, and it's not obvious what people who have never seen aikido would need to know.
Taking these helpful tips with me as I write the post I was asking about in the comments. It should go live on Tuesday, insha Allah 😉
Great issue. Thanks to Noha for bring it up, and Mike, and Amanda for addressing it.
I'm writing each week for two types of readers: for someone who will be reading their first post and for someone who has read all my posts.
So my challenge is to write something that is both self-explanatory and new. Of course I will end up repeating myself at times and I will address the same theme using different approaches. But that's ok as long as the writing is sufficiently distinct from what came before.
It's Monday night and I haven't started writing my post for Saturday. Still debating the topic. Starting to feel the pressure to choose.