The two foundations of writing: the sense of object and the sense of picture, let your words pass through the screen and live in the reader's mind
*▲ There are two foundations for writing: first think clearly about “who you are writing for”, and then let the words grow into a “picture”. *
After teaching writing for so many years, the question students ask me most is not “how to start” or “how many words should I write”, but the same sentence in thousands of versions: “Why do I write so hard, but no one remembers it?”
My answers often make them stunned. I said, it’s not because you haven’t written enough or well enough, but because your article is missing two foundations: object sense and picture sense.
I have been talking about these two words for many years, and I want to explain them clearly today.
Sense of object: Writing is never talking to oneself
If you want to learn to write, please do an exercise from now on: **Before you write, imagine that there is someone sitting across from you, waiting to read this article you wrote. **
This person is not simply a “reader”. He has a clear outline:
- Is he a college student or an office worker who has been out of society for three years?
- Is he a senior citizen who has just become a grandma, or is he a kid who has just graduated from high school and is preparing to take the college entrance examination?
- Is he a peer in your industry or a potential customer you want to convince?
- Or maybe he is actually a relative or friend around you who you want to share something with?
When you can picture this person in your mind, many writing hurdles will automatically disappear.
Because what words you want to use, what examples you give, whether the rhythm should be fast or slow, whether you want to explain a certain professional term, these are the most hesitant choices, and you will automatically have the answer because you have a specific person in your mind. **
“Personal Branding” written for college students and “Personal Branding” written for middle-aged career changers will be two completely different articles. It’s not that which one is better, but that each of them has someone to speak to.
Many people are unable to write, not because they have nothing to say, but because they want to speak to everyone at the same time. The result is that no one can be impressed.
Picture sense: Don’t let words just be words
The second foundation is the sense of picture.
Many people write articles like this: “I went to a certain place today. It was fun there and I was very happy.” This is a line drawing, which only has narrative, no hierarchy, and no sense of three-dimensionality. The reader’s mind is a blank sheet of paper, and nothing can be left behind after reading it.
Picture-like writing is different. It will match the situation and scene to pull the reader into the moment you describe:
“At three o’clock in the afternoon, I pushed open the wooden door of the cafe. There was the smell of freshly baked Yirgacheffe in the air. The boss behind the bar raised his head and nodded to me without saying a word. I chose a seat by the window, turned on the laptop, and the paragraph I originally wanted to write suddenly had a beginning.”
The same is “I went to a cafe”, which allows readers to smell the smell, see the light, and feel the tranquility. After reading it, an image will remain in his mind.
** Only the words that leave the picture will be remembered. **
The sense of picture does not necessarily rely on carefully crafted rhetoric, it requires details: an action, a smell, a line of dialogue, a scene that your eyes have really seen. Write it down and your readers will be in the same position as you.
Two foundations need to be laid together: object sense × picture sense
It is a good suggestion to look at the sense of object and the sense of picture separately. But what really makes words powerful is when they come together.
**The sense of object determines “who you are writing for”, and the sense of image determines “what he will take away after reading it.” **
With only a sense of object and less of a picture, your article will be like a precise but dry brief: you know who you are writing to, but you won’t be able to leave any feelings after reading it.
With only a sense of picture and less of a sense of object, your article will be like a gorgeous but floating prose: it has warmth, but no one feels that “this is written for me.”
Put the two together, and your article will do two things at the same time: ** Make a specific person feel that “this is about me”, and after reading it, there will still be an image that cannot be shaken off in their mind. **
Those are the articles that will be collected, forwarded, and remembered many years later.
How to start practicing: three small movements that I can do myself
Now that I have talked about the principles, I will give you three small exercises that you can do right away.
**First, before writing, write a reader card. **
Before you open the document and start writing, take thirty seconds to write a line: “This article is for so-and-so.” This “so-and-so” can be a real person, your student, friend, client, child, or a typical reader you have imagined in your mind. The point is, when you type the first word, your eyes are already on a person.
**Second, when writing, insert at least one scene that you have seen with your own eyes. **
No matter what topic you are writing about, whether it is marketing, mentality, teaching, or business observation, try to put a scene you have actually seen in the middle of the article. A line of dialogue, a picture, or an action will all do. It will be like placing a stone in a flat area, making the reader’s eyes suddenly focus.
**Third, read it after writing it and ask yourself two questions. **
The first one is: “If the person sitting across from you just finished reading this paragraph, will he nod?” If not, go back and adjust the wording and give examples. The second is: “If he thinks of this article tomorrow morning, what image will come to his mind?” If nothing comes to mind, go back and add a scene.
After mastering these two questions, the sense of object and image will gradually change from deliberate reminders to automatic responses when you write.
Writing is not about pouring out what is in your heart
After teaching writing for so many years, my deepest understanding is: **Writing is not about pouring out the words in your heart, but about letting your words grow pictures in other people’s minds. **
To do this, we do not rely on more rhetoric, nor on more advanced rhetoric, but on returning to the two most simple things: **Who are you writing to, and what does he take away after reading it. **
The sense of object and the sense of picture are the two foundations of writing. Once the foundation is laid, all the writing skills you want to learn later (subscripting, structure, narrative, rhythm) will have room to build on it.
If you’re just starting to practice today, it’s never too late to start with these two things.
If this article hits you, you can read my other two related articles: [Improve writing efficiency: start by establishing your own writing process and methods] (https://www.vista.tw/blog/improve-writing-efficiency-start-by-establishing), which talks about the order of thinking before writing; and [“Vista’s Little Voice”: How to write a title that catches the reader’s attention] (https://www.vista.tw/blog/vistas-little-voice-how-to-write-1), which talks about title exercises that make the sense of object effective from the first line of words.
