Changing Directions

Go ahead and throw that rubber ball at my head. It'll just bounce off the hard surface, no pain inflicted.

I am so curious about publishing good solid nonfiction books on the Web that I'm going to shift directions for this collection of writing tips and dedicate them to writing online books and the process of publishing online.

Good writing is, of course, good writing. The difference is that good writing in the 1600s isn't good writing in the 2000s, and good writing for The New York Times isn't good writing for the Web.

I would like to suggest that most but not all online writing is bad writing. Putting words on a screen doesn't make them more interesting, more informative, or more useful. It does make them more accessible. We need to learn and use effective ways of building text to accommodate shorter attention spans and making key points in powerful and effective ways.

Or, to put this in a style for the Web—

Writing good nonfiction e-books requires the ability to...

1. Write clearly
2. Say it in a few words
3. Make lists and bullets
4. Use illustrations
5. Organize points
6. Invite participation

That's it.