The only reasons to write are to provide information, sell your products and services, or convince your reader to accept your ideas.
When you write, whether it’s a blog post, a book, an article, even a Twitter post, you must make it interesting or there is no point to your writing at all.
When your writing bores the reader, you do him or her a horrible injustice. If nobody reads your words, you’ve denied them the benefits of what you have to say.
Here are three key ways to create interest every time you write:
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Create a headline or first sentence that raises a question in your reader’s mind. When you do this, you intrigue the reader to the point where it is almost impossible for him or her to stop reading. The headline on this post is one good example. Another is to use the phrase “How to … ” in the headline.
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Put yourself in your writing as the main character. Isn’t that for fiction writers? Yes, but it’s also for non-fiction writers. You are the main character in your writing. When you teach, draw on your experience with your subject in a very personal way that nobody else can duplicate.
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Create a strong emotional reaction with your writing. People learn when they have an emotional experience. Surround your facts with a story or case study that shows exactly how your process works in a way that the reader can see and experience.
You must do all three of these together to create the most interesting writing. I remember back to my newspaper days, when I had to write dozens of headlines for stories in every issue. Every headline had to intrigue the reader to draw him or her into the story.
If you want great samples of how this is done, pick up a newspaper today and look at the headlines. Ask yourself how the writer got you to read the story, then use that technique in your own writing.
Interesting writing doesn’t just happen. It is a process that you can learn. Start by using these techniques in the next article or blog post you write.