Flawless Formatting – A Step-By-Step Guide To Make Anything You Write Easy To Read

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An article from Ship 30 For 30 on how to improve readability and clarity of written digital content.

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Highlights

Step 1: Start every section with a single-sentence opener.

If you want to instantly 10x the likelihood of readers being interested and curious to "keep reading," open your piece (and every subsequent section) with a single sentence.

There's something about seeing a sentence by itself that makes the reader think, "Well that was easy to read." And before they can even decide whether or not they want to keep reading, their eyes have already started skimming the next paragraph. ⤴️

In Ship 30 for 30, we talk about 6 specific types of single-sentence openers—all of which particularly well for "hooking" the reader's interest.

Open with 1 strong, declarative sentence.

Open with a thought-provoking question.

Open with a controversial opinion.

Open with a moment in time.

Open with a vulnerable statement.

Open with a weird, unique insight. ⤴️

Step 2: Always look for opportunities to turn long paragraphs into bulleted lists.

If you are listing anything, ever, it should become a bulleted list.

If you are rambling off a dozen quick examples, it should become a bulleted list.

If you are making a series of distinct points to drive home a point, it should become a list. ⤴️

Step 4: Use the 1/3/1 writing rhythm.

The last step to formatting is to go through each section and look for opportunities to use the classic 1/3/1 writing rhythm (or some variation of it):

1/4/1

1/5/1

1/2/5/2/1

Etc.

The key to immediately injecting rhythm and skimmability into your writing is to alternate length of sentences and sections—ideally opening and closing each section with a single sentence. These are your "doors," the things that get the reader INTO a given section (so make sure your doors slide open). ⤴️

Open with 1 clear sentence.

Build the point over the next 4 sentences.

Close the point with 1 conclusion sentence. ⤴️