7 Perspectives for Readers to Make Your Articles Popular
When I reread my own notes, even though I thought they were satisfying articles when I wrote them, upon rereading, I sometimes feel that the meaning is unclear, that I don't feel like reading to the end, or that they feel pushy.
However, you can find new discoveries in classic books no matter how many years pass. What is the reason for this difference?
I have been thinking about this for a long time, and now I have finally found the answer. It is the number of perspectives toward the reader that the creator possesses.
Today, I wrote about that.
1. The difference between business books and novels
Since I make my living as a seminar instructor for business management, I usually only read business books, but when I read about three in a row, my brain feels like it is rapidly becoming exhausted and hollow.
When this happens, my level of thinking drops all at once, and I realize that even though I intend to be reading seriously, I suddenly find that nothing is entering my head at all.
However, when I am reading a novel, I do not have this feeling at all. As I read on, the images in my head become clearer, and I feel as if my brain is being filled with nourishment.
The other day, I reread Ryotaro Shiba's "Ryoma ga Yuku" for the first time in 20 years, and Ryoma's way of life was projected like a movie; before I knew it, I had finished reading all 8 volumes in 4 days, and I am still immersed in the afterglow.
If you understand this difference, you should be able to write more compelling articles.
2. The number of "perspectives toward the reader" is the key to compelling writing.
When I reread my own articles, I notice how few perspectives I have for facing the reader. I think I probably only have at most the following two perspectives.
Perspective 1: Front
A perspective of sitting across from the reader and conveying things, like a private tutor.
Perspective 2: Side
A perspective of standing right next to the reader and conveying things while looking in the same direction together.
I try to write while being as close to the reader as possible, but even so, it is only to the extent of standing next to the reader and talking while looking in the same direction, like in Perspective 2.
However, when I read novels by Haruki Murakami, Ryotaro Shiba, and Hisashi Inoue, I am surprised by the number of perspectives they have. I notice that in addition to the front and side perspectives, there are five more.
Perspective 3: Behind
A perspective of standing behind the reader and conveying things as if whispering in their ear while looking in the same direction.
Perspective 4: Front-right diagonal
A perspective of standing between the reader and the protagonist to explain things when explaining logic.
Perspective 5: Front-Left Diagonal
A perspective that stands between the reader and the protagonist to provide explanations when encouraging empathy and emotional resonance.
Perspective 6: From Above
A perspective that explains the situation by bird's-eye viewing from above the reader's head.
Perspective 7: Warp
Warp into the other person's thoughts and view things from their perspective.
Excellent creators structure their writing by switching between these perspectives at the optimal timing, ensuring that the reader's brain doesn't go blank.
※I believe there are many more perspectives.
3. The time I finally understood what an editor meant
In 2018, I commercially published "Learning Drucker Through Golf," but at the time, I had only ever written company reports and had absolutely no confidence in my writing ability.
With publication decided under those circumstances, I wrote about 100,000 characters and sent them to the editor, only to receive this complaint:
"Readers don't want to read Mr. Iida's bragging, diary entries, or personal theories."
"This won't sell books."
"Mr. Iida's writing has no rhythm. It makes me not want to read it."
This was tough......
What I especially didn't understand was that the writing lacked rhythm.
I could only think, "Does writing even have rhythm in the first place?" and I couldn't understand what it meant for the longest time.
However, I finally understand it now! Although it's way too late...
The rhythm of writing is the perspective for the reader that I explained earlier.
It is the attentiveness and consideration of mastering when and which perspective to use to show or explain things in order to gain the reader's understanding, empathy, and emotional resonance. This is what becomes the rhythm of the writing.
When you read Haruki Murakami's novels, he brilliantly uses different perspectives to express a profound world that an ordinary person could not express.
In the world of business books, too, I want to become a creator who can master the 7 perspectives.
What do you all think?