This post, originally published on February 25, 2011, is chock full of advice that will ensure that you are communicating well with your readers.  As your reader engages with the first of your 100,000 words, she wonders where to look for meaning. She seeks clues that will orient her. And she is counting on you as author to point the way toward the material that is most important. First let me say this: all your words should be important. But while all words must serve a function, you’ll want some information or images to linger. Here are some of the tools authors use to throw a spotlight on the most important info, with some links to previous BRP posts that explore these techniques further: Word count The more words you devote to a character or situation, the more important the reader will expect it to be. This is as true for a paragraph as it is a whole book. A telling detail Whether an anachronism or the only detail offered, one detail made prominent will stick in t...