Can you think of anything more soul-sucking than a bad college lecture? If you open up the YouTube video for University of Chicago’s professor Larry McEnerney’s writing lecture for the first time, you might see that the session is close to an hour and a half long, put your head in your hands, let out a collective groan, and be tempted to “nope” on outta there.
I’m here to tell you: stick around. Breathe in deep. Grab a cup of coffee and click play. Your writing will thank you for it.
Everything you know is wrong
Larry specifically calls out why traditionally taught writing structures are awful and bore most readers to the point of tears. Most importantly: these pieces are written to express the author’s knowledge, but never quite address why the reader should care.
They don’t challenge the reader’s way of thinking, nor make it clear what the reader stands to gain from the article. The author typically spends plenty of time talking about what they want to talk about, not what is actually on the reader’s mind. And this… is a recipe for disaster.
Larry goes on to argue that the most important part of your writing is to–wait for it–make an argument. Make a point. Have an opinion. Stand for something, don’t just talk about a topic. Challenge the reader’s current patterns of thought. Give them some insight from a different perspective.
Be valuable
Your objective is to be persuasive and generate value for the reader. What does the reader stand to gain from your piece? Put differently: what do they stand to lose by not taking action? The only way you can know this information is by knowing your audience intimately. Who are they? What roles do they have? What tasks do they run into on an everyday basis?
Put yourself in your readers’ shoes. Try to see things from their point of view. What will it take to get them nodding along with your writing in the first few sentences?
Share what you know
Some of the most brilliant people retain a wealth of knowledge in their own minds. But Larry argues that knowledge isn’t about what you can keep to yourself–rather, it’s about how you use it in the world. The best thoughts and words are often lost forever in those minds, having never been published to a public audience.
Where is the public space where conversation occurs between the minds within your community–and what kind of conversation occurs there? How can you use what you know to help change those minds and move the conversation forward?
I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of a “Larry McEnerney” before, and I doubt I’d let some rando show up and steal one hour of my precious and finite time in a day. I didn’t even know that the University of Chicago had a writing program. However, if there’s one college lecture that’s worth your time in leveling up your writing skills, this is it. You’ve been warned. Don’t miss it.