Let me introduce Iain Broome. He’s a smashing fellow who is also a writer and is doing a lot of good stuff for the writing community with his site, Write for Your Life. As well as insightful and useful articles, Iain also produces a weekly podcast on a variety of writing related topics and last month he invited me to record one with him. We discussed my book and more specifically the process of writing to a set structure as Five Simple Steps books are five parts and each with five chapters. I wrote five a  lot in that sentence!

I’m not going to tell you everything I said in the podcast, you really should head over to Iain’s site and have a listen, but I will divulge that writing to a set structure was both problematic and advantageous depending on which part of the book I am referring to.

It was great sitting back with Iain (he in Sheffield, I in Cardiff. Technology eh!) and talking about the book from a different perspective. Until the podcast I had focused solely on telling people what the book was about but if you are reading this post then chances are you already know a little about it. The opportunity to talk about writing to a structure really made me think about the process I had been through with DTI and Iain and I discuss the challenges and joys that a structure can bring.

I also talk about a mechanical shark called Bruce. If that hasn’t made you want to listen then I don’t know what will.

The book started off as a much different idea, one that was more focused on audiences and research methods but it evolved to became the book it is today, a book that I hope will be a valuable resource when people are asked the question why – perfectly summed up in Mark Boulton’s foreward.

I’ve been on a journey (cliche!)

The biggest learning curve for me was honing my writing style. I like to waffle and writing a book that had the word ‘practical’ in the title meant that I had to make every word count, cut out some of my darlings and be strict with what made the final version. Thankfully I was guided by two incredible editors, Simon Mackie and Bill Harper.

The second thing that was an eye opener was how quickly the web changed. Sure I knew I was working in a fast paced industry but seemingly overnight examples I had written about the day before were no longer valid as websites were redesigned and tweaked whilst I slept. Literally. This was made all the more difficult by the fact that I had to take an extended writing break half way through due to circumstances in my personal life. It was hard to get back into it after the break, I was worried the tone of voice wouldn’t be consistent but I think I managed to stay on track.

Slow and steady wins the race

Writing a book over a prolonged period also means that some of my own views have changed. Not many admittedly but in the book I mention how users scan pages and I’m not sure that’s a statement I fully support today. I also use the HMRC website as an example of a website with a good tone of voice – I think that needs further explanation as we all know it is a terrible website so I’m going to use this blog to expand on some of the points I make in the book, share my updated opinions and reinforce those that still ring true for me now.

Final Stages

The last few weeks has been about polishing and tweaking and seeing the Five Simple Steps team turn my less than creative word documents into what I genuinely think is a beautiful book has been incredible. If I’m allowed a favourite part then it’s part 3, Using the right palette, but the whole book looks great.

I’ve read it so many times in recent weeks that naturally I’m very attached to it and the very thought of sharing it with others is terrifying and thrilling. At the very least I hope it’s a book that helps others explain why to their clients or project team, for those with more experience in the web, perhaps it will serve as a reminder to things you have previously learnt and for others I hope it helps you create better stories online.

So that’s it. I promise to blog here more often and hopefully create a good resource for all things invisible communication related. I’m also incredibly grateful to anyone who has contributed to the book, tweeted about it, promoted it, offered support in any other way and of course, bought it! And if you are one of those who have bought it, please let me know what you think of it (good, bad, or indifferent) and if you see me at any events, come say hi!

Time to share

As I finally release the baby into the big scary world I can’t help but ask myself would I write another book? The answer is yes. But not for a while yet and I would want to write it much more quickly than this one. But it is a fantastic experience, a huge challenge and very rewarding. So if you have even the smallest idea for a web related book I urge you to contact Five Simple Steps, they are fantastic publishers and will make sure your content gets the love it deserves, in the same way they did mine.

Thank you.

Rob.

I think out of all the Five Simple Steps books that have been announced, mine is probably the biggest enigma and so I’m pleased to be able to explain some of the ideas and concepts behind it here on this blog.

I’m just going to introduce the subject in this post and then talk in more detail in future posts about how the book came about and explain some of the topics within it.

Communicating invisibly.

We live in a media saturated world and we are receivers of signs, codes and stories all the time. You only have to consider the media you are exposed to in an average day to get a sense of how significantly our lives are dominated by the media. Billboards and the radio on our commutes, websites in work, TV in the evening, adverts, magazines, newspapers, branding on cars, bags, in shops and so the list goes on.

This continuous exposure to the media, stories, brands and language means that as consumers and audiences we have become sponges, soaking up all these messages and codes to the point of saturation that now we can receive them, process, them, digest them and analyse them without really noticing it, or consciously acknowledging it. For example, we know that the colour red can represent romance or danger depending on the context but this is because we have learnt this association over time and our culture and the media have continually reinforced it.

That is the key; we are so adept at recognising codes and conventions within texts, both online and offline, so messages can be communicated quickly and efficiently without the need to state everything literally. One of my favourite examples of this is colour. A single shade can evoke emotions in people, give orders (think of road signs) and have meaningful connotations that are culturally, politically and socially variable.

Other examples and methods of invisible communication are body language, icons and symbols, tone of voice, colour, brands and typography. It is particularly relevant to the web because users have to be engaged with quickly, communicated to efficiently and led on the right path with a clear goal in sight.

Giving considered thought to the colours you use, tone of voice you adopt, icons you include and language you choose will all create a story that tells more than its literal parts.

Storytelling on the web

Storytelling is the process that binds all communication methods and tools together. Elements of websites can invisibly communicate by themselves but when combined they tell the complete story.

And then on top of all of this there are cultural, political and religious variations in the messages communicated. Phew!

So that’s the topic, not quite in a nutshell, but hopefully explained a little further than the book synopsis and future articles will break it down even further over the coming months.