6  Reader end state

A reader of one of our articles will be expecting it to fulfil them in some way. We can manage their expectations and how they feel about it.

Typically, we would want our readers to feel good at the end because we fulfilled their expectations, and preferably exceeded them. As long as we keep focussed on their needs, we will likely exceed their expectations, but only because their previous experiences will have have included many clunky and mis-focused sites.

While we may be writing non-fiction, we are still telling a story, helping our readers to build up a set of expectations of what they will get to at the end. we will have to guide the reader through a sequence of emotional states as they progress through our article. With careful crafting, those states will not include negative ones unless they are a useful part of the flow of the narrative.

Some are always there at the start, while others arise through how we have put it all together. Keeping focussed on what we want the reader to end with, we will be more likely to help them reach our desired end state.

In constructing narratives, recognise that readers are operating in a hybrid emotional-mental state, and are already used to moving between them naturally. This means that a phrase that evokes an emotional state reached earlier in the narrative can be used to pivot into a logical argument seamlessly without having to explicitly construct a connective explanation. As long as the logic is reasonable to be inferred from the emotional state, readers will automatically make the connections.

Where this understanding can help in in transitioning between emotional states. This will involve some logic that takes a current emotional state and explains how to get to a situation that triggers the wanted emotional state. The reader then thinking about the idea raised should be what triggers the wanted emotional state. There should be no need to mention emotions at all, but let the reader do what is natural for them while thinking.

When writing, it may help to see ourselves talking to one person, trying to inspire them with our explanations. Imagine their state of mind, and their body language/posture, just so we are aware of how we need to write to get them around to our way of thinking. We can make it personal.