This is another authorial lapse caused by knowing a subject too well.
You think you have made a point or idea sufficiently clear because you know how it manifests in people's lives.
But to the lay reader you might as well be writing Greek what you have said conveys nothing concrete to them.
For instance, you might be wondering what I mean by the forgoing, and yearn for a concrete example.
So here is one: Say you are writing a book about how women can attract a man who is "genuine husband material.
" You might caution the reader that to attract such a man, women should "reject choices that will cause men to perceive them as unsuitable wife material.
" To an expert in relationships who has watched women make the same self-sabotaging decisions over and over, it may seem as if everyone else must know exactly what these "choices" are.
But, any lay reader who has not noticed this phenomenon is left wholly in the dark.
They may not realize you mean things like abuse of drugs and/or alcohol, developing a reputation as a tramp, or a taste for dangerous men rather than the kind that can offer security, faithfulness and love.
Here's another example: In a book on how readers can get in touch with their own "inner wisdom," an author might write that, "Sometimes people are afraid to tap into the source of wisdom that lies within each of us.
They may be afraid they will misunderstand the inner guidance they receive and make a disastrous.
Or they might fear the guidance they receive will be spurious and make life worse.
instead of better.
" This may seem concrete enough, but not every reader will have had those fears.
They may be unable to visualize what kind of they could make while following inner guidance that could lead to disaster, or how it is possible to receive spurious guidance that could make life worse instead of better.
Or, in a book on recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, "PTSD plays an important role in all your interrelations with people.
" This is a sentence few readers will understand unless it is illustrated with examples of the kind of role it plays in their interactions with bosses, coworkers, friends, loved ones, clerks at the mall.
For instance, "PTSD plays an important role in all your interrelations with people.
The emotional deadening described earlier can make developing true intimacy with a spouse or lover a near impossibility.
The explosive outbursts of anger could strain relationships with coworkers, even cost you your job.
" And so forth.