For a reader to follow the argument of a text, find the claims convincing, and understand how the evidence and analysis support each claim, the writer must provide orienting information, i.e., things that give readers a sense of background and context. Yet, sometimes writers overestimate how much context readers need, providing an overwhelming amount of information that readers may find confusing and digressive rather than helpful. This is a problem that many graduate-level writers face because they feel the need to prove their expertise. This revision strategy uses a 10-minute free writing exercise to help you draft orienting text that offers an appropriate amount of context.

Step 1: Identify one aspect of your project that requires you to provide readers with orienting text. For instance, you might need to describe a particular historical event or figure, define a key concept or theory, or introduce an object of research (e.g. novel, painting, case study). Then, identify your intended reader and their presumed knowledge about this aspect of your project. Consider using the following template: “My intended reader is a scholar of / expert in [discipline and subfield(s)] who likely knows [little/some/a lot] about the event/concept/object that I’m writing about.”

Step 2: Set a 10-minute timer and write down all of the contextual information you can think of surrounding the event/concept/object you selected in Step 1. Your goal here is to capture the contextual knowledge that you’ve accumulated about this aspect of your project that might be important context for your own readers. The rules are simple: you cannot stop writing, you cannot refer to your notes or sources, and you cannot look up information. These rules will help you cut to the core of what context is necessary: your brain can only retain so much information and generally tends to retain what’s most important. Consequently, writing purely from memory means you will likely produce a summary that addresses the broad strokes of your topic without including finer details. 

Note: If you know that you think and work better by talking out loud, consider recording yourself talking about the event/concept/object on your phone and then using an app to transcribe the recording.

Step 3: Reread your free write. Compare the contextual information you generated in Step 2 to your reader profile from Step 1, highlighting the context that is most relevant. Then, turn back to your draft and revise as needed. Retain the most relevant context, add any missing context, and cut the rest.

While you focused on one aspect of your project in this exercise, you can repeat the process as needed for other aspects that require you to provide readers with orienting information. 

For another strategy focused on determining how much context to include, try “Am I Including The Right Amount of Contextualizing Information? A Promote-Demote Exercise.” If free writing worked well for you, try “Can’t Distill Your Argument? 20 minute Free Write As a Clarification Tool.”