Comments on: How to Confuse the Hell Out of Your Readers

By: David Dittell

David Dittell — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 06:23:36 +0000

Kelly, I'm coming to this article rather late, but I think it has a rather important point. I recently taught English to students of varying grades, and in all my classes I stressed that the point of an analogy is to make your main point easier to understand. If your analogy creates confusion or is more complicated than your original point, it has to go. Many writers instinctively know that an analogy can be a strong way to express an idea, but confuse this with thinking that analogies are an inherent good, rather than a means to an end. David Dittell´s last blog post...The Rule of 3

By: Geek's Dream Girl

Geek's Dream Girl — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:14:18 +0000

I had a college professor who went on for a full hour about how poetry is like sh1t. By the end of class, we all wanted to kill ourselves. Or him. Or both. Geek's Dream Girl's last blog post..Random PHP question?

By: Confusing your readers

Confusing your readers — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:02:20 +0000

[...] This post looks at the ways in which you can confuse your readers. Chances are you’ve read examples of writing like that. You may have even been guilty of it at least once in your career. [...]

By: J Tyler

J Tyler — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:29:36 +0000

So, writing analogies is a lot like riding a sub marine in an ocean full of water that is as cold as the artic tips of a weathered planet covered in nothing but frost who blows cold air all day working like a railroad employee from the 40's? J Tyler's last blog post..Musing About Nothing: Assasination

By: Bridging the Information Gap with Analogies | Men With Pens

Bridging the Information Gap with Analogies | Men With Pens — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 09:02:08 +0000

[...] We’ve learned that analogies can greatly enhance people’s understanding of complex concepts. We’ve also learned that you can overuse, misuse or confuse people even more with the wrong analogies. [...]

By: Jamie Grove - How Not To Write

Jamie Grove - How Not To Write — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:07:39 +0000

Another point to mention is repetition.

When using an analogy to explain or illustrate a concept, repeating a single image at the beginning and end of a piece can be extremely effective in creating a lasting memory. Of course, this can be good or bad depending on the quality of your analogy.

Great mini-series, James!

Jamie Grove – How Not To Write’s last blog post..Writers Behaving Badly: An American Scoundrel’s Success

By: Michael Martine | Remarkablogger

Michael Martine | Remarkablogger — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:41:46 +0000

You know you have a really good analogy when you can make it your headline. For example: Twitter is Like Sex. Other times, the analogy I thought was going to be the centerpiece of a post just got in the way and I had to kill that particular "darling." Tough, but necessary. Michael Martine | Remarkablogger's last blog post..Beginner SEO for Anyone

By: Freelance Writing Jobs » Blog Archive » A Little Weekend Link Love June 21, 2008

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:27:44 +0000

[...] How to Confuse the Hell Out of Your Readers at Men with Pens [...]

By: James

James — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:51:26 +0000

Oooh… *that’s* what these bolts were for…

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:45:24 +0000

John,

I would have said it earlier, but James doesn’t like the goofy stuff with his a.m. coffee. I mostly sometimes try to remember that, kinda. Plus, Harry’s out there. I hate to be silly before he’s awake.

*sigh* I’m a little rusty on some of the particulars but I am sure John’s right. There was a swing involved.

Later,

Kelly

Kelly’s last blog post..Free Slippery Advice, Today Only