Once again, really helpful advice. Thanks! A question: In prescriptive nonfiction, I assume the subject will (almost?) always be “you.” Correct?
Just playing around here with applying Hart’s formula to one of my chapters. Instead of my current “explaining the ‘forgiveness is lifting off a heavy weight’ metaphor” change to “what you should take and what you should leave behind from the ‘forgiveness is lifting off a heavy weight’ metaphor.
Hey Dan, not necessarily! For example, Ryan Holiday could have chosen to make the thesis of his LinkedIn post something like, "How to prepare for writing so you never feel stuck." That's ok - but instead, he said, "[Writing] is a lagging indicator of hours and hours spent researching and thinking." Therefore, the solution to writer's block isn't waiting for the muse - it's go back and do more prep work. He's talking to the reader, but "you" isn't the subject of that sentence - writing is. It's a statement about reality that helps us know how to write better.
For your chapter, I would focus on what YOU want to say about forgiveness - not on debunking/analyzing a metaphor. And frame it as a complete sentence. So it might sound something like, "Forgiveness is sometimes a massive burden - but it's worth carrying."
Once again, really helpful advice. Thanks! A question: In prescriptive nonfiction, I assume the subject will (almost?) always be “you.” Correct?
Just playing around here with applying Hart’s formula to one of my chapters. Instead of my current “explaining the ‘forgiveness is lifting off a heavy weight’ metaphor” change to “what you should take and what you should leave behind from the ‘forgiveness is lifting off a heavy weight’ metaphor.
Am I on the right track?
Hey Dan, not necessarily! For example, Ryan Holiday could have chosen to make the thesis of his LinkedIn post something like, "How to prepare for writing so you never feel stuck." That's ok - but instead, he said, "[Writing] is a lagging indicator of hours and hours spent researching and thinking." Therefore, the solution to writer's block isn't waiting for the muse - it's go back and do more prep work. He's talking to the reader, but "you" isn't the subject of that sentence - writing is. It's a statement about reality that helps us know how to write better.
For your chapter, I would focus on what YOU want to say about forgiveness - not on debunking/analyzing a metaphor. And frame it as a complete sentence. So it might sound something like, "Forgiveness is sometimes a massive burden - but it's worth carrying."
I hope that helps!