Formatting Distorts the Reading Experience
Writing case in point
When I started writing on Medium, I did not know how to format my articles. I used to admire the formatted ones. I felt mine looked plain and boring sometimes. So I read up on how best to format.
I know a few things,
the boldening,
quotation,
putting in title case
and subtitle case.
I still don’t know how to put on those story boxes or the three dots between paragraphs.
Still, I’m not in a hurry to do all that because I slowly discover how formatting ruins the reading experience. I have greatly improved in my writing, choosing good topics, great photos, and writing when I feel the fire for it. It is then that I write my best articles. So I have gained more readership than I had in the beginning because my articles now speak clearly.
Well, now I think formatting shouts and focuses only on specific points. When I read a long or overly formatted article, I focus on the bold or headings notice what you are doing now. It makes me skim because I see what the article is about by reading the main points; formatted parts.
When an article is not formatted, I am more eager to read it slowly because there are no bold points. If I need to know what the article is about, I need to read through it instead of skimming.
Notice you are reading this,
and maybe this
sometimes this
but definitely this one.
But you will pass this by quickly because it does not shout to you. Not formatting is a do-or-die choice. If I read through your unformatted article, I read the whole of it. If not, I have not read any bit entirely because nothing shouts at you.
What do you think?
Will you read this
Or this?
Will you write this?
Or this?
