Voice

I led a session of a workshop, recently, on how to write a “trade book” in philosophy.

I don’t love the phrase “trade book,” which I’ve put in protective scare-quotes. And I feel some discomfort, too, in being cast as an authority. I still think of myself as a novice author; I am painfully aware of at least some of my weaknesses; and even those who are expert may not understand what they are doing well enough to teach it to others.

But for all that, I have advice to share, much of it gleaned from my brilliant agent, Allison Devereux, who has a musician’s ear for prose, an architect’s eye for structure, and a philosopher’s mind for arguments and ideas. She’s also bracingly frank about the demands of writing philosophy for a general audience. Among her more memorable edicts, paraphrased:

• assume infinite intelligence—but total ignorance;

• the topic may be interesting, but that does not mean that the audience is interested: you have to make them care;

• go from concrete to abstract, not the other…