# Write for the stranger

> Your cards will be studied by someone who wasn't in your head.

## What & why

When you write a deck, all the cards sit in front of you in order, and everything makes
sense. But a learner meets them one at a time, shuffled, sometimes months apart, with
no memory of the card before. A card that leans on its neighbours — "the verb above",
"as we saw earlier" — falls apart the moment it arrives alone. Write each card so it
stands completely on its own.

## The rule

> Every card must make sense in isolation. No "above", "earlier", or "the previous
> one" — the learner won't have it.

## Bad → good

A real entry from the **World Capitals** catalog deck. Tap a card to reveal its answer.

**Before — Depends on a card the learner may not have seen for weeks.**

> **Q:** And what's its capital?
> **A:** Canberra

**After — Names its own subject — makes sense arriving alone.**

> **Q:** What is the capital of Australia?
> **A:** Canberra

## When it applies

Every card, but watch especially for cards you wrote in a burst on one topic — that's
where "the other one" and "same as before" sneak in. Re-read each front as if it's the
only card you'll ever see. If it references something not on the card itself, name that
thing explicitly.

The same goes for pronouns and shorthand: "he", "it", "that period" all assume context
the learner doesn't have. Spell out who and what.

## Related

- [One card, one fact](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/one-fact/)
- [Ask, don't display](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/ask-dont-display/)
- [Common mistakes & anti-patterns](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/tips/anti-patterns/)

---

[Read this guide on Deckberry](https://www.deckberry.com/creators/guide/deck-craft/write-for-the-stranger/)