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Q&A Is it eccentric to address the reader in non-fiction writing?

I have observed that I often address the reader in my essays to lay down a point. To give you an example, I'll write: You can utilize every productivity hack that's out there, and still be b...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by AmateurWriter‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T06:49:21Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/29431
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar AmateurWriter‭ · 2019-12-08T06:49:21Z (almost 5 years ago)
I have observed that I often address the reader in my essays to lay down a point. To give you an example, I'll write:

> You can utilize every productivity hack that's out there, and still be back to square one when your initial excitement wears off.

which can also be written as:

> When the initial excitement for the productivity hack wears off, it often results in being back to the square one.

The above example avoids addressing anyone. Another form could use generic addressing like, "people", "person", etc.

It might be a matter of taste but I get a feeling that talking to reader is something that I don't come across often in the articles I read everyday. Is it something that is frowned upon and should be avoided?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2017-07-29T08:05:07Z (over 7 years ago)
Original score: 4