| |
| |
|
Go Back | About | Contact | Web Design News | |
|
|
|
Using Anecdotes - Remember, People Like to Read About People
Okay, I admit it: I'm a keen people-watcher. (Most writers are: we know people love to read about people - not things; not statistics; but people!) We collect anecdotes and snippets of other lives. If you do the same, you'll find your readers avidly waiting for your next article. I love to sit in a sidewalk cafe or at a table in a shopping-mall restaurant, and watch the crowd go by. I'm fascinated by snatches of conversation at the next table or between people who meander past. (I do draw the line at edging my chair closer so I can hear better!) I like watching mini-dramas being played out between warring couples... or friends who are meeting after a long period apart. When I watch the evening news, what grabs me is how things affect the people in the stories. Who will ever forget the expressions on the faces of the people in the streets of New York on September 11, 2001? We shared their emotions as they watched fireballs engulf buildings, saw desperate people leap from the eightieth floor, or waited for news of loved ones working in the Twin Towers. But stories don't have to be dramatic. They just have to strike a chord. I've found my eyes filling at a story of how an old couple have been cheated out of their life savings and are forced to sell the family home. I've laughed at tongue-in-cheek stories about incompetent bank robbers who write 'Fill this bag with money!' on the back of an envelope that they shove across the counter with a sack... overlooking the fact that the envelope has their name and home address on the other side. I've rejoiced when a lost child is found and have been saddened by the sight of refugees trudging into the distance in search of safety. No matter what your message is, show how it affects people and you'll have a much better chance of the reader staying with you. It's no accident that weight watching magazines feature two or more weight-loss success stories in every issue. It's no accident that the most successful car sales ads feature people having fun (or being envied, or being adventurous). We are all interested in other people. 1. Use Anecdotes I've ghost-written a lot of books for business professionals. The topics range from negotiating techniques to presentation skills to real estate sales. In every book I've written, I've encouraged the person commissioning the book to tell me lots of stories.
2. Bring People To Life To write "powerful" anecdotes you have to be able to make readers believe in the people in your stories. That means you develop those people just as carefully as if you were writing fiction. Help us to 'see' these people. That doesn't mean you should stop and describe the colour of their hair and eyes and what they're wearing! The key is the emotions associated with the story you're telling. If it's about an irate customer, make sure we can see that customer's body language; hear the frustration and anger in his voice. If you put us in the mind of the salesperson, let us know what he's thinking as he faces this customer, and how he either (a) handles the situation well or (b) loses a sale and a customer for life. This applies no matter what you're writing about. By showing the emotions and worries of the people in your anecdotes, you're appealing to the emotions of the reader. Show the reader how to avoid pain or achieve pleasure - and you've got a sale! 3. Bring The Setting To Life Don't have 'talking heads' in your anecdotes. People don't exist in a vacuum. They have meetings in offices, they run through the rain, they sip coffee in restaurants. They jump in and out of cars, talk while they're driving, and chat over a few drinks. They play golf or tennis; they go abseiling and scuba diving. Help us to see the setting when you tell us an anecdote. Don't just tell us what it looks like - use the five senses. Help us to smell the coffee; feel the pelting rain; hear the audience roar with laughter at a speaker's wit. All of these things make your story 'real' - and help your readers to believe in your story people and in your message. You'll sell more books, you'll attract more people to your website, and you'll win a growing band of followers... ...just by letting people read about people! (c) copyright Marg McAlister Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
Writing-Articles - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Writers Glossary (Part One) Find definitions from A to G! ~~~~~~~~~~~ A ~~~~~~~~~~~ About the Author -usually a few paragraphs to one page that describes the author. Written in 3rd person. Why Internet Marketing Free Articles Traffic Can Earn You More Sales Than Pay-Per-Click Leads To be successful at any affiliate marketing program, you not only need traffic but you also require a certain type of traffic. In fact this rule also applies to any online marketing you can think of. Article Queries That Sell Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they are specifically designed to sell your articles.Every query should be:Written for the appropriate marketA fresh ideaSkilfully presentedWritten in a competent style, andA good example of the writer's research skills. Article Writing Dos and Donts Still following along on the Copywriter's Crash Course in article marketing? Ahh, I'm so pleased! With any luck, you'll be an article-writing machine by tomorrow. But before you being submitting articles on the web as a brand-building strategy, keep the following Do's and Don'ts in mind. How to Create a Viral Lead-Generating Machine Whether you own your own affiliate website, or subscription website, or publish your own ezine or newsletter, you need people to see what you offer.More people are interested in you when they trust you. You Really Can Make Money With Your Words Sometimes when I am communicating with other webmasters and I bring up the subject of writing articles, I often get a response like "I'd rather have a root canal, I just can't write", or "my spelling is horrible and my grammar is not much better". In my view, the first excuse is just a matter of attitude. Article Writing - Positive Author Questions To Ask Yourself Article writing can be such an intimate act as you're always sharing a piece of yourself with the world. It's so easy for your mind to derail as you wander from paragraph to paragraph that I wanted to give you a list of positive questions you can ask yourself to keep your mind upbeat and focused on the task at hand. One Well-Placed Article Nets 616 Mentions in Google Evaluation of a Home-Run ArticleI've been writing articles and posting them online for several years. But it took a while before I learned writing well and developing a long list of places to post them weren't enough. 10 Profitable Tips For Article Writers 1. Write to one person. In Search Of Ideas For Articles Finding something to write about can be frustrating for all writers from time to time.I have made a list of a few suggestions for those days when the well seems to be running dry. Do I Really Need To Write Articles For E-zines? When I was first advised to start writing articles, this was the first question I asked. As I was totally freaked out at the thought of me writing for others to read. Keyword Article Writing: the Key to Your Success! Ready to jump on the keyword article bandwagon? Billions of companies are using keyword articles to gain free exposure on the internet. Whether you're a netpreneur marketing a product or a writer seeking freelance work, odds are you can benefit tremendously from keyword articles. Crafting Your Optimized Author Bio Your author bio is a vital part of your article marketing campaign. It must append every article you write, and contains links to your site, sometimes directly from text. Article Marketing & Copywriting Secret: How To Make Your Article TITLE Sell Most authors are wasting their time producing dozens to hundreds of high quality articles that never reach a fraction of their traffic potential. It's a darn shame. How I Became An EzineArticles.com Platnium Member in One-Hour Flat & How You Can Too [Disclosure: I went into EzineArticles.com very innocently. 5 Powerful Article Writing Tips Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful methods of building your reputation and your online business. Not only do you get unlimited exposure, but it is fre^e as well!If your article is well-written, you will probably get listed on numerous websites as well as in several ezines. Writing Articles, But Still Not Getting Traffic? Your Articles Suck - But I Can Help! (Part 2) Last time on "Because your articles suck" - we discussed how to write effective headers, bylines (boy were those easy), and article summaries. Now it's time to move on to the body of the article and then the all-important resource box. Reaping The Amazing Benefits of Writing E-zine Articles Marketing on a budget is tough. This is a universal truth that all small business owners face. Got Lingo? The Terminology Of Marketing With Articles Every field or discipline has its own specialized vocabulary and marketing with articles is no different. Understanding and using the lingo of marketing with articles will help you get the most out of this brilliant technique. Write Your Ezine Article in 15 Minutes or Less! Gasp! I can hear it from the purists now: Matt is advocating that writers really dumb down their writing styles to crank out more articles in less time. No, not really.
|
ChicagoAnimation's Acquisitions: Market Polls - 1pennyStock.com
Sponsors: Paving | VTL's | Religious Statues
