Writer-based prose is text organized around the writer’s own process of discovery — following the path the writer took to understand the material. Reader-based prose is text reorganized for the reader’s needs — structured by what the reader needs to know, in the order they need it.
Linda Flower introduced this distinction as part of the cognitive process model of writing she developed with John Hayes. Writer-based prose is a natural product of thinking-through-writing: the writer explores the topic, makes connections, and follows associations. The result often reads like a narrative of discovery — “first I noticed X, then I realized Y, which led me to Z” — rather than a direct statement of the conclusion [@flowerhayes1981].
The revision from writer-based to reader-based prose is one of the core moves in producing usable technical writing. It requires the writer to step outside their own reasoning process and ask: what does the reader need first? What is the main point? What can be cut?
This vault’s plain language specification operationalizes the reader-based standard: “Put the point first” (section 5.1), “Order information by reader need” (section 5.2), and “One purpose per section” (section 5.3) are all rules for producing reader-based prose.
The distinction also explains why expert writing often needs more revision, not less. An expert thinking through a difficult problem generates rich, associative, writer-based prose. Transforming that into reader-based prose requires deliberately restructuring the text — a step that novice writers often skip because they don’t distinguish between the two.
Related terms
- revision — the process of transforming writer-based prose into reader-based prose
- audience — reader-based prose is structured for a specific audience
- document design — document design supports the reader-based restructuring through headings, lists, and progressive disclosure