Readers are Jerks
Good writing caters to demanding readers
Writing is a service industry; readers are the customers. And as anyone in the service industry will tell you, the customer is always right. Successful writers cater to their readers’ needs and interests.
Although this idea seems obvious (write stuff people want to read—duh), few professional writers fully grasp its implications. They know it’s important to write for the reader, but they don’t fully appreciate how selfish, lazy, judgmental, and impatient their readers are. In other words, readers are jerks.
Readers are selfish. They don’t care about your needs or interests, only their own. It doesn’t matter what you want to write about—only what they want to read about. If what you write isn’t valuable to them, they’ll ignore it.
Readers are lazy. Bad writing is easy to write but hard to read; good writing is the opposite. But readers aren’t interested in splitting the bill. They want you to do the hard work of revising and editing so the reading is easy and breezy. They expect you to distill weeks or months of work into a neat, clean package that’s easy to read in minutes or hours.
Readers are judgmental. It doesn’t matter how hard you worked or what you intended to say. It only matters what the reader understands and whether they find it compelling. If they find your writing confusing or unimportant, it’s your fault.
Readers are impatient. Most of them will give you about 30 seconds—perhaps a paragraph—before deciding if your writing is worth reading (and if you are a competent writer).
Writing for Jerks
What are writers to do? Cater to these jerks, of course. We must anticipate their needs, establish value immediately, provide the right amount of background, and craft clear, well-organized writing.
Understand Your Reader
Start by understanding what kind of jerk you’re dealing with. Ask these key questions:
1. Who is the reader?
Professional military readers generally fall into four groups:
Leaders – Senior officers, senior NCOs, and civilian leaders who make decisions at the administrative, tactical, or strategic level. They have broad expertise but may lack deep technical knowledge.
Experts – Strategists, researchers, and key staffers with advanced degrees or specialized knowledge. They focus on conceptual and strategic planning.
Technicians – Operators and maintainers of military equipment, systems, and technology. They have deep technical knowledge and practical experience.
General Audiences – Readers without military expertise, including junior enlisted, journalists, congressional staffers, policymakers, and the public.
2. What does the reader already know?
Understanding what your reader knows helps you gauge how much background and detail they need. Leaders and general audiences may need background information for context but not detailed explanations. Experts and technicians may need the opposite. Writers must balance clarity with brevity—giving readers the information they need to know without wasting their time with information they already know.
3. What does the reader want?
Consider how the reader will use the writing, then scope the product accordingly. Leaders usually want concise summaries with key takeaways, while experts may want in-depth analysis. Technicians might need precise technical data, while general audiences often need clear explanations of basic concepts.
Establish Value Immediately
Most readers decide in the first paragraph if something is worth reading, so make the first paragraph count.
Lead with the Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF). Give readers your main point early—not later than the last sentence of the first paragraph.
Cut clutter from your introduction. Avoid long setups, apologies, or background that delays the main point.
Be clear and direct. State your main idea plainly—don’t make the reader decipher vague or wordy phrasing.
If the first paragraph doesn’t show or promise something valuable, readers will move on if they have a choice, or get frustrated if they don’t.
Provide the Right Amount of Background
Readers need enough context to understand your point but don’t want to wade through unnecessary details. How much background you provide and where you provide it depends on the audience:
If the reader knows the topic well, skip the background.
If they need some context, provide a few sentences or a short paragraph in the introduction.
If they are unfamiliar with the topic, keep the introduction brief but include a dedicated background section in the main body.
When in doubt, be concise. If some readers need more detail, offer a reference or footnote rather than overloading the introduction.
Write Clearly and Organize Logically
Even the right information is useless if it is unclear or poorly structured. Clear writing is easy to understand and logically organized.
Use clear topic sentences. Organize each paragraph around one idea, and state the idea clearly and directly in a topic sentence.
Write simple, direct sentences. Avoid complex sentences that force the reader to slow down or re-read.
Present ideas in a logical order. Arrange sections and paragraphs in a sequence that makes sense, helping the reader follow your argument. Always ask, “What does my reader need to know next?”
Use formatting to guide readers. Headings, bullet points, and bolded terms help readers quickly find key information.
Edit for clarity. Remove unnecessary words, jargon, and anything that does not serve the reader. Use plain language.
Clear, well-organized writing guides the reader smoothly, making it easy to follow your ideas.
Readers are jerks. It’s all about them. But good writers don’t fight this. They know catering to the reader is part of being a writer—it’s the price of being read.