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Or maybe he's stating the thesis for his post and then backing it with technical detail before writing his conclusion. Have readers become so accustomed to inst
by DWakefield 6y ago
Or maybe he's stating the thesis for his post and then backing it with technical detail before writing his conclusion. Have readers become so accustomed to instant gratification that they can't take the time for a thorough analysis with facts and technical detail to back up the author's claim?
- jessriedel 6y agoAcademic writing uses abstracts, and it is not because they are so accustomed to instant gratification. It is because it makes for clearer reading and a more efficient allocation of effort.
- squaresmile 6y agoThis is not academic writing though. This is an interesting story posted on somebody's blog. If I tell my friends a cool story, I would need to walk them through the story and drop the punch line/conclusion at the end. I also enjoy it very much when somebody tell me a story that way. Not everything, even technical teardown, needs more efficient allocation of effort. Interestingly, this is the second time I see this kind of comment recently and turns out it's from the same person. Maybe I'm on HN too much.
- jessriedel 6y agoI brought up the academic example specifically to rebut DWakefield's argument that the main reason the reader would want abstracts/summaries is because they cannot delay gratification; I wasn't arguing that blogs should have it because academics use it. Clearly, this is my axe to grind
- billfruit 6y agoNothing wrong with providing a summary and later expanding it in a full treatment. There is no need served by holding reader in surprise till the ending like a piece of fiction. I see "story telling" as an anti pattern in non fiction, jounralistic and technical writing.