Interlude: Portals, Hypotheses, and Bad First Drafts

Have you ever been consumed by a book? So much so that you felt like you were transported to a new place?

In a recent podcast episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Greg McKeown shared his thoughts on the power of books in transporting readers:

"...every book is potentially a portal, it takes you there in time and place...You suddenly experienced this whole other world..."

Greg's thought made me think about how manuscripts and proposals are portals that transport readers into the world of research and ideas.

His thought also made me think about how we as writers have the power to design portals that transport readers into the story we are writing. And this portal can create an experience that influences how our readers think, act, and feel.

So in essence, you can use your writing to design a portal and create an experience that helps you persuade readers.

That's powerful.

Now onto this week's round-up...

💌 Round-up

📆 Upcoming

​Connection Compass: Create Flow that Guides Readers Through Your Writing – March 27, 2024, 10 am PT
I was thrilled when the American Medical Writers Association invited me to give my 2023 conference presentation as a webinar that anyone can attend. During this webinar, I'll share how writers can apply valuable writing principles to create a smooth flow that guides readers through the content, builds on their knowledge, and keeps them engaged in the writing.

👓 Reading

Why Stating Hypotheses in Grant Applications Is Unnecessary​
“Rather than the superfluous guesses such as “Our hypothesis is that statins do not increase the risk of cancer,” grant applications should describe the question researchers are asking, why they are asking it, and how they propose to answer it.”

​Communicating Medicine—A New JAMA Series​
"JAMA is launching an Insights series titled “Communicating Medicine” as a forum to introduce strategies for the clinician to improve communication of medicine and health-related topics to patients."

​Delivering Effective Messages in the Patient-Clinician Encounter​
"Clinicians have 4 communicative responsibilities to ensure shared and accurate understanding with their patients: (1) uncover what the patient understands and why, (2) provide accurate information in an understandable way, (3) promote the credibility of the information, and (4) check for shared understanding."

💭 Thoughts

Be brave enough to write a bad first draft.

Be humble enough to refine it.

✅ Action

Think about a book that transported you to a different world. What did the author do to create that portal? And how can you emulate that in your writing?

Thank you so much for reading.

Warmly,

Crystal