This blog post is about including all the key facts so that readers know what you’re writing about. It looks at the best place to explain causes and how a story changes when information is missing.
Leaving out a piece of information can change how a story is understood. Compare these examples.
- He stole from the supermarket. (What)
- He stole from the supermarket because he was malnourished. (What + Why)
- The malnourished man took food from the supermarket during the zombie apocalypse. (What + Why + When)
- In the zombie movie, filmed in Hollywood, a malnourished man stole food from the supermarket. (What + Why + When + Where)
- In the Hollywood zombie movie, newcomer Jim Smith plays the part of a malnourished man who steals food from a supermarket. (What + Why + When + Where + Who)
To tell a truthful story, we need all five Ws. Together, they show that the man is an actor in Hollywood and not a thief in the crime section of a local newspaper.
When part of a story goes missing, it can completely change its character.
What? + Why? + When? + Where? + Who? = Understanding
People appreciate it when these five W questions are answered early on in a text, especially when the subject is unfamiliar. They act as signposts, helping readers to orient themselves.
However. Some whys are simple and others are far more complex.
It can be confusing if a very detailed piece of writing explains causes before it fully establishes the what, when, where, and who.
When we write about complex topics, “Why?” should often be answered after the other Ws. Causes, reasons, and motivations may require detailed backstory and analysis.
In some cases, forcing a rushed explanation at the start of a carefully researched text can backfire on the writer. Readers may quote from it, without reading further down the pages. With controversial or partisan topics, anyone who needs persuading may assume the brief explanation is just an opinion.
I’m sure many people will agree that “Why?” is a very powerful question. When truth and falsehood matter, a failure to clearly explain causes, reasons, and motivations can change everything.
How a missing why changes the story
The other day, I blogged about a scene in a soap opera. A character called Colin rushed off to Thailand because his pregnant daughter had an accident there. Neighbours who didn’t know why Colin went gossiped that he was leaving his partner.
In real life, we do this all the time. We look at what has happened and then try to guess the causes. How kindly or nastily we speculate depends on our feelings!
If it’s vital that your readers understand the why of something, make sure to explain it clearly. Otherwise, they may fill in the gaps with their own ideas.
An editor’s viewpoint
As an editor, it’s my job to help writing perform efficiently. This usually involves thinking about the readers’ experience and whether they’ll lose their way in a document. In other words, will they understand it?
By answering the five fundamental Ws, the writer puts up content signposts for the reader.
Content signposting increases the chance that the reader will follow the argument and understand the message.
(Photo by T6 Adventures on Pexels.com)
TIDE and CANUTE 