> A possible way to make things interesting is to teach the material as a story with fiction characters and a bit of drama.
I am wrapping up the final touches on my latest book, Head First Git[1][2] and I will admit that it wasn't till I was midway through the book when it _really_ dawned on me on how important this is. Some of you might be familiar with the Head First series (if you are not, Head First Design Patterns [3] is a great place to start). It uses a very conversational tone, filled with characters, and lighthearted stories to explain technical issues. Lots of drama, visuals and exercises to help cement ideas.
I took on the project because I feel like I am intimately familiar with Git. Despite that, this book is one of the hardest things I've ever done, mostly because every chapter needs a narrative, with fictional characters, conversations, and problems they are aiming to solve, all while keeping a technical topic in scope.
I know that writing this book has certainly influenced how I might teach or speak on a topic in the future, but the OP is absolutely right—engaging the reader by making the stories about "people" certainly makes the book more interesting and easier to digest.
> A possible way to make things interesting is to teach the material as a story with fiction characters and a bit of drama.
I am wrapping up the final touches on my latest book, Head First Git[1][2] and I will admit that it wasn't till I was midway through the book when it _really_ dawned on me on how important this is. Some of you might be familiar with the Head First series (if you are not, Head First Design Patterns [3] is a great place to start). It uses a very conversational tone, filled with characters, and lighthearted stories to explain technical issues. Lots of drama, visuals and exercises to help cement ideas.
I took on the project because I feel like I am intimately familiar with Git. Despite that, this book is one of the hardest things I've ever done, mostly because every chapter needs a narrative, with fictional characters, conversations, and problems they are aiming to solve, all while keeping a technical topic in scope.
I know that writing this book has certainly influenced how I might teach or speak on a topic in the future, but the OP is absolutely right—engaging the reader by making the stories about "people" certainly makes the book more interesting and easier to digest.
On the flip-side, it makes the book less _dense_.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Git-Learners-Understanding...
[2] https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/head-first-git/978...
[3] https://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Design-Patterns-Object-Ori...
(edited for formatting)