Imagining the Reader
summary
Explains that the hard cause of bad papers is the curse of knowledge and gives concrete fixes: write a concise, falsifiable list of contributions first; assume a single realistic reader; use a running example and related work to teach needed background; iterate with real readers and shrink drafts (try to compress by 25% repeatedly); and run simple experiments or examples to expose hidden assumptions. Practical checks and named resources back each tactic, plus rewriting and feedback loops.
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chapters (11)
- 0:00Introduction and icebreaker
- 2:45The challenge of writing
- 7:43The curse of knowledge
- 12:21Defining your contributions
- 19:42The canonical reader
- 21:29Teaching through writing
- 25:07Structuring the paper
- 31:42The art of rewriting
- 35:12Conciseness and exercises
- 40:20Recommended resources
- 42:58Q&A and discussion
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