Find and Fix the Gaps in Your Nonfiction Mansucript

You’ve probably experienced the moment when you read back through your chapter and think, “That’s clear.” And it is clear—to you. You wrote it with all the context: the reasoning and the assumptions you didn’t think needed spelling out. Since your reader doesn’t have any of that, they are left scrambling to fill in the missing pieces.

Adding necessary information is one of the trickier parts to teach and learn because the gaps are nearly invisible from the inside. Your brain fills them in automatically every time you read through. So use these strategies to find those gaps before your reader does.

Writers often move from point A to point C and skip B because they understand the connection.

To know if you’ve made a leap, look for two sentences that feel like they belong together only because you understand, but the connection is not on the page.

Example:

Original: Nonfiction books often fail because of weak introductions. That’s why you should start your book with a promise to the reader.

This goes straight from problem to solution without connecting the dots. Why does having a promise fix the problem? The logic is invisible.

Revised: Nonfiction books often fail because of weak introductions. If readers can’t quickly see why the book matters to them, they may lose interest before reaching the first chapter. So start your book with a clear promise to the reader.

Now the reasoning is on the page, not just in your head.

Vocabulary leaps work the same way. When writing for beginners or those outside your niche, don’t drop in an industry term without defining it. If you’re writing for experienced readers, you have more flexibility, but make sure it’s clear. It’s best to take an extra sentence to define it unless you’re absolutely sure your audience doesn’t need that.

Too many nonfiction books give the what but not the how. Don’t publish one of those. Make sure to include the how.

Example of what only:

“Set healthy boundaries.”

“Improve your website messaging.”

These instructions are nearly useless without the how.

For any section that feels more inspirational than actionable, ask,

• Did I actually teach the reader how to do it?
• Did I offer at least one concrete example or scenario they can apply?

If not, add that in. The idea is to make sure the concepts are actionable, not just inspirational.

Kids are relentless about asking “but why,” so bring out your inner kid. For every claim or recommendation in your book, ask “but why” and ensure the answer is on the page.

Example

“Research shows habit stacking works.”

• But why does it work? ➔ It takes advantage of what is already working in your life instead of starting from scratch to implement a new habit.

Make sure that “but why” is on the page. It doesn’t necessarily need to be spelled out explicitely, but it should be there in some form.

When you answer those questions in the text, the content feels complete. When you don’t . . . you guessed it: You lose readers.

Every chapter makes a promise. Sometimes it’s explicit in the title or opening paragraph; other times the heading or setup implies it. Either way, your reader now has an expectation, and they get annoyed if the chapter doesn’t meet it.

To ensure you deliver your promise:

1. Read your chapter title or opening and ask, “By the end, what should a reader expect to know or be able to do?”

2. Check whether you actually delivered that.

When I was writing my Self-Editing Essentials for Nonfiction, I made this mistake. A few chapters lacked a full concrete, how to before the practice exercise. So I went back in those chapters and added more explicit how-to so those chapters fulfilled their promise.

Given that you know your content, it can be tricky to know when you have given enough information. In general it’s best to err toward more. One extra definition, one more concrete example won’t overwhelm a reader who already gets it, but they can help a reader who doesn’t.

You want readers closing your chapter thinking, “I know exactly what to do with this.” So find those gaps and fill them. 

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I’d love to hear from you. Comment below using any of these prompts to guide you:

·         What questions do you have?

·         Which is harder for you to catch in your own writing: a logic gap or a missing “how”?

·         Do you tend to over-explain or under-explain on a first draft, and how do you find out which one you did?

·         What is one thing you did professionally or personally today that you’re proud of?