Being explicit

Goat by William A. Clark, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License

Here is a short handout from the Teaching Associates at Sacramento State University that gives some really good examples of the difference between being explicit and not. You really need to be explicit, but it’s really common for writers not to be and assume that the reader is following the same train of thought. In fact sometimes you feel silly being explicit as the point you are making may seem obvious.

But its not silly. You need to do it. Part of the reason good reading is fun to read is that it is easy. Readers do not have to work. They can read and learn or enjoy (or hopefully both!). Also even if your reader does know more about it than you, they want to know what conclusions you have reached.

So make your writing explicit. Say what you really mean and what you conclude.

Explicit versus Implicit
Teaching Associates at Sacremento State University
http://www.csus.edu/englishta/TA/InClassActivities/Explicit%20vs%20Implicit.doc