LITERATURE What Does the Reader Like?
"In considering what t h e reader likes," says Gould, "we should never forget two basic concepts." The writer is a reader in reverse; what we like, he will like. And writing is simply the writer and the reader on opposite ends of a pencil; they should b e as close together as that.
Technical editors are readers in reverse—what they like is generally accepted by the reader A HE INDUSTRIAL WRITER, whether en
gineer or scientist, is frequently as guilty as the student writer," says Jay R. Gould, Rensselaer Polytechnic Insti tute. "He gathers his material and de cides on levels of language, all without consulting the person for whom the material is intended," Gould stated, at the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Atlanta. "It occurs to me that as technical writers we could benefit greatly by borrowing some of the skills of the ad vertising writer," Gould asserted, "and especially should we consider certain psychological factors relating to reader interest." Good writing is, in general, a mat ter of ideas rather than words. Put down the ideas—the phrasing will usu ally take care of itself. Think of it in reverse, says Gould, it is possible to underslaiiu every word in a sentence without understanding what the words are saying. It can be assumed, he added, that a good piece of writing does not call at tention to itself. The piece of writing that is to carry information or tell people how to do things should not make the reader word-conscious. And it is better to be brief than longwinded. Other things being equal, the technical audience, looking for in formation, prefers the simple state ment, the unadorned fact, Gould ad vised. Watch your colors! People have developed certain attitudes toward writing, but beyond these attitudes are physical factors which both affect and effect audience reaction: • To be most completely understood, the material should be divided into units. • There is a definite relationship be tween length and the reader's evalua tion of a piece of writing. • Readers appreciate indexing and similar features. • Readers can often understand dia grams when they can't understand words. 406
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• Readers are affected by the size and kind of printing type. • One of the primary causes of reader satisfaction or dissatisfaction is color. The writer, if h e has any responsi bility in the matter, should not leave the choice of color for covers, headings, margins, illustrations, and the like en tirely to others, says Gould. He should have learned certain basic rules. He should know that one color or another will give a striking, vivid effect, while another combination, say green on blue, will result in an almost total loss of legibility. Of all the colors, blue seems to achieve the most pleasant response from the viewer; red is striking, but it may overpower; yellow is light and lively, but it may result in a weak look ing brochure; the violets and purples will neutralize practically any other color. Some color sense, says Gould, is invaluable to the technical writer and editor. • That Indefinable Something. In every piece of good writing there is that indefinable something that gives it a lift. It's a quality impossible to define clearly, Gould indicates, but some elements of good writing which attract, please, and inform the reader can be cited: • Good technical writing should quickly identify the thing being de scribed. • Writing, to b e effective and to strike the desired audience, should em ploy a vocabulary for the majority of readers in that audience. • Good writing must be clear, di rect, and simple. • We should write to the eye as well as to the ear. • Good writing comes as a result of some knowledge of paragraphing. • Pay particular attention to the be ginnings. • Personalize your writing if you possibly can. • Provide as many examples as space and time will permit.
NEW B O O K S Chemical Pilot Plant Practice. D . G. JOR DAN. Vol. 1 of Interscience Chemical Engineering and Technology Library, viii -f- 152 pages. Interscience Publish ers, Inc., 250 Fifth Ave., New York 1, Ν. Υ. 1955. $10. The scale-up problem; handling of solids, liquids, and gases; chemical reactors; sep aration process, cost estimation and report writing. Solid State Physics. Advances in Research and Applications. Vol. I. Frederick Seitz and David Turnbull, editors, xii 4- 469 pages. Academic Press, Inc., 125 East 23rd St., New York 10, Ν. Υ. 1955. $10. Methods of the one-electron theory of solids; qualitative analysis of the cohesion in metals; quantum defect method; theory of order-disorder transition in alloys; va lence semiconductors, germanium, and silicon; electron interaction in metals. Air Conditioning Refrigerating Data Book. Design Volume. 9th edition. Milo M. Bolstad, editor-in-chief. 980 pages. American Society of Refrigerating Engi neers, 234 Fifth Ave., New York 1, Ν. Υ. 1955. $10. Theory and principles of the design of air conditioning and refrigeration equipment and systems. Modern Physics, A Textbook for Engi neers.
ROBERT L. SPROULL.
xii -f- 491
pages. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 440 Fourth Ave., New York 16, Ν. Υ. 1955. $7.75. Book has developed from notes used in a one-semester course in atomic, solid-state, and nuclear physics for engineering under graduates which has been taught at Cor nell since 1950. F.B.I. Register of British Manufacturers 1956. 28th Edition. Federation of British Industries. 1097 pages. Iliffe and Sons Limited, Dorset House, Stam ford St., London, S.E.I, England. 1955. 42s.0d. Progress in Organic Chemistry. Vol. 3. J. W. Cook, viii -f- 273 pages. Aca demic Press, Inc., 125 East 23rd St., New York 10, Ν. Υ. 1955. $7.80. Up-to-date comprehensive survey of the chemistry of organic lithium compounds and a chapter reporting on the rapia prog ress made in the study of indole alkaloids of established structure. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. E. R. A N DREW, xi 4- 265 pages. Cambridge University Press, 32 East 57th St., New York 22, Ν. Υ. 1955. $6.50. Basic theory, experimental methods, meas urement of nuclear properties and physical
