It takes a little more than pure inspiration to write that killer content. Although the idea is the kernel to any great literary dish, you should always have on hand the following ingredients to lift your words to the writer’s equivalent of haute cuisine.
You may find that taking these ideas with more than a pinch of salt is just what you need. But you shouldn’t assume that you need all these ingredients all the time, mix and match; experiment.
There are many more ingredients you could use, but these are my top 5:
- Nearness – The reader can be drawn in with any geographical or experiential situation that they can identify with, try and create the ‘I’ve been there’ factor.
- Consequence – Try to make the content deal with matters that have an effect; create consequence in what you write.
- Human interest – Go on you know you want to, go all out for the cute vote, the shaggy dog story at the end of the news keeps you hanging on for the weather report. Alternatively the opposite is also true, a report on the cost to life of any disaster can be a compelling read.
- Drama – Action and intensity… if you’re writing a story, this can be quite a good hook.
- Oddity – Pique that mind, interest that soul. Let eyes pour over your words, washing them into the bowl that awaits like open mouth – sometimes being weird works, trust me, I’m an editor.
Remember these are ingredients, it is up to you how you use and mix them, or even add a few more of your own.
And if you want more:
Five more ingredients of compelling writing
Shouldn’t that be “deal with matters that affect” instead of “effect?” Or it should be “matters that HAVE an effect.” Right?
Affect meaning to change or to influence. Effect meaning a result?
Granted I’ve always been tripped up by these two words myself, but normally effect is a noun. It’s hard to have compelling writing when you don’t have proper writing.
I have had the benefit of working with many skilled copy editors over my years in publishing. Ideas are one thing, expressing them correctly is something else.
Thanks for pointing it out, and I have corrected above – and shown the correction! I should learn from my mistakes.