In fact, you can learn a lot about how to write by looking carefully at what you like to read. Examine the sample file, which contains two documents that are very similar in content. One is reader-oriented and one isn't. Since writers compose sentences in a linear way, writing one word and one sentence after another, they often assume that readers will read the same way, starting at the beginning of a piece and reading every word. But research in the last fifteen years has shown conclusively that readers don't read in a linear fashion-and that they don't want to read that way.
Readers like to skim a document.
They need to absorb the big picture before they process the details. Also, readers are usually in a hurry when they're reading at work. They want to find the important information right away. And their response to a document is heavily influenced by its context-who wrote it, why, what project they're pursuing at the moment, and what mood they're in. A good writer understands reader psychology and organizes his or her writing so that it meshes with reader interests and needs.