Writing summaries and abstracts

In my last post I talked about writing an abstract as a way to begin a project. In this post I’m going to talk about writing an abstract or summary after you’ve completed a project.

Remember: An abstract is like maple syrup

It takes 30-40 litres of sap to make 1 litre of maple syrup. When boiling down sap to make maple syrup you are getting rid of water to concentrate the sugar. It takes time. It takes energy.

Water is not useless. It’s just not what you want for this purpose.

(You can learn more about how maple syrup is produced here. This producer is just up the road from where I live.)

An abstract is like that for your writing. You need to boil down your larger argument into it’s essence. It’s not that the things you don’t say are unimportant. Like the water, they are just not necessary for this purpose.

(These people are actually bottling and selling that water.)

When you have just written a whole book, it is perfectly normal to find it hard to summarize it in 30 words or even 250 words. Even writing an abstract of an 8000 word article is not easy.

A summary invites people to read the longer version

Think of the summary as a companion to the longer piece. Like the maple syrup and the sugar free maple water, they are 2 products of the same process.

The summary will lack the nuance of the longer analysis. The nuance is important to you. That’s why you wrote a whole book. (Dammit.) Trust me, the nuance will also be important to your reader once they are actually reading the book.

However, the nuance isn’t what gets the reader’s attention. The general topic, the main theoretical approach, the key interpretive themes … these are things that interest people in reading the more nuanced version.

Think of the reader

I know it is hard to imagine that complete strangers might want to read your book. But you have read books by people you’ve never met, so why not?

Like you, the reader is busy. She has a long list of stuff she wants to read. And she is feeling guilty for how much of it she is not reading.

In selecting things to put on that list and things to read from that list, she will use several quick indicators:

The title
The reputation of the journal or publisher
Her knowledge of your (the author’s) previous work
Recommendations of friends and colleagues (personal and via citations)
Keywords
The summary or abstract
Skimming sections of the piece

If you know who you are writing for, it is easier to figure out the essential ingredients you need in the abstract or summary (and the title, subtitle, keywords).

A practical exercise to get you started

Take a couple of deep breaths. Make sure you have a pad of paper and something to write with handy. More deep breaths. Relaxed?

Write down all the ideas that come to mind for each of these questions, even half-formed ones.

What is this potential reader looking for that reading your book would give them?

Why did you write this book/article? (not a book/article; this book/article)

What other books/articles are out there that left you feeling, “If only they knew about this research I’ve been doing …”

Who needs to know about your research? (actual names, but also characteristics of the kinds of people who would benefit from knowing what you say in this book)

Who will be excited to know that the book is now ready? (send that snarky gremlin for coffee and then answer this)

What kinds of conferences have been particularly receptive to your work? What aspects of your work got them excited?

What keywords might these people use in the library catalogue or other database?

If a reader were skimming the publisher’s catalogue, what words would grab their attention and make them stop and read more carefully?

Those answers give you a good sense of your potential reader. Maybe someone you know personally fits that description. Or maybe you can create a fictional character who will read your work.

Write the summary for this person

Think of this person as you write the summary. What elements of your work get her attention? Remember that she is busy and already has a long list of stuff to read.

Your goal is to ensure that the person who wants to read this book/article, knows it exists. The summary does not have to convince anyone to read your work. If someone doesn’t want to read it, that’s fine.

You cannot force anyone to read the whole thing if they only want a basic sense of your argument any more than writing “You won’t believe what happened next?” in a Facebook post will make me click through to a puppy video.