Why no one reads everything you write.

There are two parts to the things we write.

The islands and the bridges.

The islands are the core ideas. They are the central insights, the heart of what you’re writing. They are the main points in your story or your blog post or your email.

The bridges are the transitions between the islands. They are “exit sentences” that usher you off of one idea and onto another. They link your islands like the highway to Key West. And they are the part most of us ignore while writing.

Islands are sexy and fun. It’s enjoyable to spend our time finely crafting amazing core ideas. We spend hours or even days working on our islands. Then we hastily string them together with rickety bridge transitions and wonder why no one reads beyond the first paragraph of anything we write.

Focus more on your bridges. Learn to see them as every bit as important as your core ideas, because they are.

Great bridges are the only way to get someone to read everything you write.