Use Clean Sequence 881219 to check how your paragraphs are delivering on your promise to the audience
Here's a 250-word article plus two illustrations...then I share resources including the scaffold I used to draft the article.
When it comes to the ‘edit’ phase of my workflow for writing, Clean Sequence 881219 is a useful tool for those who want to write useful content that makes a promise to readers and then delivers on that promise.
It’s basically a prompt to conduct random spot checks of paragraphs, exploring whether they are actually helping readers move towards the promise.
I’ll work through a couple of illustrations of Clean Sequence 881219 and then, if you’d like to know more, I include some further resources at the end. (If you’re not quite sure what I mean by ‘promise’ then you could look at this four-minute Youtube video.)
Illustration 1
Let’s run Clean Sequence 881219 on a single paragraph of James Clear’s million copy bestseller ‘Atomic Habits’. The questions in the Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of a section that has been written…
I’ve used the ‘look inside’ feature at Amazon to find a section of James Clear’s book.
And select a paragraph at random
I’ve selected a paragraph on P.17:
“The impact created by a change in your habits is similar to the effect of shifting the route of an airplane by just a few degrees. Imagine you are flying from Los Angeles to New York City. If a pilot leaving from LAX adjusts the heading just 3.5 degrees south, you will land in Washington, D.C., instead of New York. Such a small change is barely noticeable at takeoff – the nose of the airplane moves just a few feet – but when magnified across the entire United Sates, you end up hundreds of miles apart.”
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in that section (perhaps indicated by a subheading)?
The subheading is ‘Why small habits make a big difference’. So that’s a promise that readers will learn why small habits matter (maybe rather than thinking that ‘small’ things don’t matter, I suppose).
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
The paragraph is talking about small things that make a big difference. So it fits.
And does anything need to happen?
No.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as a chapter heading)?
The chapter heading is ‘The surprising power of atomic habits’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
The paragraph is giving a concrete example of how an apparently small change makes a big difference that I guess is surprising. So it fits.
And does anything need to happen?
No.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as title/subtitle)?
The book title is ‘Atomic habits: an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
Actually, my first impression is that the paragraph doesn’t particularly fit with ‘an easy (?) and proven (?) way to build good habits and break bad ones’. I guess it does fit with the idea of ‘atomic habits’ where ‘atomic’ means small. (Note: an alternative subtitle on the web for James Clear’s book is ‘Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results’ and the paragraph would certainly fit with that).
And does anything need to happen?
No.
I hope that gave you an idea of how Clean Sequence 881219 is supposed to work – and how it can be nice and quick.
Are you ready to try it for yourself? I’ll guide you through the next illustration but there’s space for you to do your own comparisons and come to your own judgements.
Illustration 2
We’re going to run Clean Sequence 881219 on a single paragraph of Rob Fitzpatrick’s book ‘Write Useful Books’. Like last time, the questions in the Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of a section that has been written…
I’ve looked at a PDF version of Rob’s book and identified a section.
And select a paragraph at random
I’ve selected a paragraph on P.80:
“Readers’ comments on your manuscript will reveal their experiences while reading. But if your book intends to change their behavior, mindset, skills, work, or life, then you’ll also need to watch what they’re doing in the weeks after they’ve finished reading. And since they’ll no longer be commenting inside your manuscript once they’re out in the world, you’ll need to follow up with them.”
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in that section (perhaps indicated by a subheading)?
The subheading is ‘Follow up to see whether the book actually worked’. So the promise is, I think, that readers will get ‘how to’ instructions about follow up.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
<hint: I think the paragraph is providing a ‘why’ for following up, so it fits with the promise in my humble opinion.>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
<hint: no>
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as a chapter heading)?
The chapter heading is ‘Finding and working with beta readers’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as title/subtitle)?
The book title is ‘Write Useful Books: a modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
Easy!
Challenge
I’d like to challenge you to run Clean Sequence 881219 on your own content. Ideally your random paragraph will fit with all levels of promises to readers, similar to the James Clear example. But it may not. And if it doesn’t, maybe it’s a case of cutting it, or repurposing it, or maybe just moving it to a better location. Once you’ve done that, run the Sequence again. And again. It needn’t take long. Think of it as a small habit that will make a big difference.
<ends>
Resources:
1. Here’s the original draft of the article that shows how the content emerged from a Clean Sequence (code = 233466). The questions posed by the Clean Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of the context of what you are creating...
My draft subheading is: ‘Use Clean Sequence 881219 to check how your paragraphs are delivering on your promise to the audience’.
And what is the idea you would like to communicate?
When it comes to the ‘edit’ phase of my workflow for writing, Clean Sequence 881219 is a useful tool for those who want to write useful content that makes a promise to readers and then delivers on that promise.
And is there anything else about that?
It’s basically a prompt to conduct random spot checks of paragraphs, exploring whether they are actually helping readers move towards the promise.
And is there anything else about that?
I’ll work through a couple of illustrations of Clean Sequence 881219 and then, if you’d like to know more, I include some further resources at the end.
And is there anything else about that?
(If you’re not quite sure what I mean by ‘promise’ then you could look at this article.)
And when that’s how it is, what could illustrate that?
Let’s run Clean Sequence 881219 on a single paragraph of James Clear’s million copy bestseller ‘Atomic Habits’. The questions in the Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of a section that has been written…
OK, I’ve used the ‘look inside’ feature at Amazon and I’ve found a section of James Clear’s book.
And select a paragraph at random
I’ve selected a paragraph on P.17:
The impact created by a change in your habits is similar to the effect of shifting the route of an airplane by just a few degrees. Imagine you are flying from Los Angeles to New York City. If a pilot leaving from LAX adjusts the heading just 3.5 degrees south, you will land in Washington, D.C., instead of New York. Such a small change is barely noticeable at takeoff – the nose of the airplane moves just a few feet – but when magnified across the entire United Sates, you end up hundreds of miles apart.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in that section (perhaps indicated by a subheading)?
The subheading is ‘Why small habits make a big difference’. So that’s a promise that readers will learn why small habits matter (maybe rather than thinking that ‘small’ things don’t matter, I suppose).
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
The paragraph is talking about small things that make a big difference. So it fits.
And does anything need to happen?
No.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as a chapter heading)?
The chapter heading is ‘The surprising power of atomic habits’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
The paragraph is giving a concrete example of how an apparently small change makes a big difference that I guess is surprising. So it fits.
And does anything need to happen?
No.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as title/subtitle)?
The book title is ‘Atomic habits: an easy and proven way to build good habits and break bad ones’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
Actually, my first impression is that the paragraph doesn’t particularly fit with ‘an easy (?) and proven (?) way to build good habits and break bad ones’. I guess it does fit with the idea of ‘atomic habits’ where ‘atomic’ means small. (Note: an alternative subtitle on the web for James Clear’s book is ‘Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results’ and the paragraph would certainly fit with that).
And does anything need to happen?
No.
I hope that gave you an idea of how Clean Sequence 881219 is supposed to work – and how it can be nice and quick.
And does anything need to happen?
Are you ready to try it for yourself? I’ll guide you through it but you have to do your own comparisons and come to your own judgements.
You’re going to run Clean Sequence 881219 on a single paragraph of Rob Fitzpatrick’s book ‘Write Useful Books’. Like last time, the questions in the Sequence are in italics:
Thinking of a section that has been written…
OK, I’ve looked at a PDF version of Rob’s book and identified a section.
And select a paragraph at random
I’ve selected a paragraph on P.80:
Readers’ comments on your manuscript will reveal their experiences while reading. But if your book intends to change their behavior, mindset, skills, work, or life, then you’ll also need to watch what they’re doing in the weeks after they’ve finished reading. And since they’ll no longer be commenting inside your manuscript once they’re out in the world, you’ll need to follow up with them.
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in that section (perhaps indicated by a subheading)?
The subheading is ‘Follow up to see whether the book actually worked’. So the promise is, I think, that readers will get ‘how to’ instructions about follow up.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
<hint: I think the paragraph is providing a ‘why’ for following up, so it fits with the promise in my humble opinion.>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
<hint: no>
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as a chapter heading)?
The chapter heading is ‘Finding and working with beta readers’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
And what is the ‘promise’ made to readers in the larger section (such as title/subtitle)?
The book title is ‘Write Useful Books: a modern approach to designing and refining recommendable nonfiction’.
And compare the paragraph with that promise.
<what is your answer?>
And does anything need to happen?
<what is your answer?>
Easy!
And when all that, what do you know now?
The challenge now is to run Clean Sequence 881219 on several paragraphs of your own content. Ideally your paragraph will fit with all levels of promises to readers, similar to the James Clear example. But it may not. And if it doesn’t, maybe it’s a case of cutting it, or repurposing it, or maybe just moving it to a better location. Once you’ve done that, run the Sequence again. And again. It needn’t take long. Think of it as a small habit that will make a big difference.
2. Here’s a screenshot of Clean Sequence 233446 on the Android app, which I used to draft the article:
