How do I escape my own experience?

Question

When writing academic text, you're often in the position of having to write introductory or explanatory material for your audience. Usually you write this kind of material after you've explored the subject fairly deeply, and have a pretty solid understanding of what you're talking about. This makes it easy to write in one sense: you don't need to constantly refer to other sources. But it also makes it really hard in another, because all that experience makes it difficult to know when you're talking over the heads of your audience. And if you lose them in the introduction, then you've likely lost them altogether.One way to get around this is to have one of your audience members proof read your writing. Of course, that isn't always possible, nor always reliable.So, are there any methods of getting outside your own head, and viewing your own writing as if you didn't previously understand the topic? How can I read my writing so that I can detect the potholes I've left for other readers?

Answer 1

I love this question, Brittany. It is a very common problem for less experienced writers. At the same time, I think you have answered the question quite well. It is essential to read the material with the eyes/mind of a non-expert. This requires a little role playing on your part, so to speak. Apart from just getting more practice, I would also suggest that setting the piece aside for a period of time makes it a little easier to view it in the way you and I both described.

Best wishes