I remember as a child, I was obese and very lazy. I hated any form of physical activity that will create even a ripple of “strain” within my body.
But my father, the strict disciplinarian he was, would never tolerate any of this nonsense.
Every morning I would be forcefully dragged out of bed at an ungodly hour and made to run 5 miles on a cold, rainy beach. My pleadings, curses and excuses never seemed to bring any effect to his rock hard exterior.
But I was also quite smart
I had conveniently found a “cozy” secluded spot on the beach where I used to “rest” peacefully and then came back home, after some time “exhausted” after a long grueling run.
This charade went for some time uninterrupted and I was feeling quite smug about it.
Then one day, when I was “jogging” on the beach, I found something green sticking out from under a rock.
It was a 10-dollar bill.!!!
I quickly pocketed the note and of course was elated beyond words.
Next day, again while jogging I “discovered” an unopened packet of jujubes, my favorite candy, still fresh. I could not believe my luck.
The very next day I needed no prompting. I automatically got out of bed and “jogged” the full length of the beach in anticipation and excitement. Though this time,I did not find anything on that day,but I was enticed hook, line and sinker. The beach has lot of hidden “treasures”, waiting to be found by me I said to myself.
I continued to “discover” more and more treasures but the frequency decreased gradually. But by that time, I was far too addicted to “jogging” to break free out of that habit.
Little did I realize at that time that, my father had engineered this whole plan to perfection to entice me. He utilized my “greed” and gave back to me a healthy body, one which I can be proud of in my later years.
Even now after so many years, whenever I think of the beautiful “game” my father played on me, I marvel at the simplicity of the scheme and the way in which it can easily be utilized in any field be it writing, sales or even politics.
For instance, in writing, it is the responsibility of every writer to write soul searching stories that reflect the deep turmoil waging within him. But at the same time, a writer also needs to ensure that his writing is READABLE and a reader is enticed to spend some valuable minutes of his or her time, going through it.
This “ENTICING” is the “candy”, that you are offering to the reader and final result; “the healthy body” is the “SUCCESS” of the writer after reader endorsement.
So How to write Amazing stories that “force” the reader to like and appreciate?
Here is how you can do it -:
Create “STOPPED” Stories — They always WORK
There is something crazy about the word “STOPPED”. It challenges the very psyche of the human mind. Whenever you tell to any human being “not to do something” or “stop doing” something, their curiosity goes berserk and this is usually the first thing that they will end up doing.
I discovered this quite by accident when I wrote 3 Amazing Reasons why I STOPPED, Following Successful People. This post was the very first post of mine which received rave reviews and great recommendations and the one biggest reason for that was, I was “forcing” readers to do something which they didn’t want to do!
Treat a “SENSITIVE” topic in a humane way
Certain topics like love, sex, job and career are highly sensitive topics and touch an emotional chord within most of the readers. However, readers will never appreciate a long dreary harangue on these topics. They already have had enough going on in their lives and they don’t want one more adviser on the block. What readers want in these topics is emotional, personal stories, to which they can emotionally connect and relate to.
This is what exactly happened when I wrote 5 Powerful Reasons to STOP, Revealing your SALARY. An individual’s reasoning behind never revealing his salary to his future employer brought me lot of emotional responses from readers.
Go Against the Grain
Going against the grain does not mean writing on a controversial topic. You can write on a normal topic (creativity, success, productivity) also but give a differing viewpoint, one which goes against the conventional thinking. However, care should be taken to ensure that the reasoning behind your thinking is flawless and connects with the reader. Any reasoning that fails to convince the reader will not cut any ice or produce desirable results.
An example of this writing can be found in The 1 Surprising Reason, that KILLS Creativity. This story is a personal take on team work and collaboration and how it inhibited creativity within an individual, thus forcing him to resign from his job.
Useful “Medium” tips always WORK
Broadly speaking there are two types of writers in Medium, the first group are the “superstar” writers who have a huge fan following and have perfected the art of writing great masterpieces. The 2nd group is the bigger one which contains aspiring and budding writers in various stages, who are still trying to establish a foothold in Medium. This group is constantly looking out for tips, tricks and “secrets” to improve their writing and bring it to the next level.
Some time back I had written the post, The 1 Amazing Secret to be a TOP writer in Medium. This post talks about usage of “comments “to achieve top status in Medium. This post was universally appreciated by majority of the readers who were unaware of this unique Medium feature.
Add “TIME” to the Headline
Today’s readers are no doubt smart and savvy and they also know exactly what to read. But the sad truth is that, they are also pressed for time in this rat-race world. They simply do not want to waste their online “minutes” reading something, to which they cannot either relate to or take back some valuable lessons.
Here is where, you as a writer can help them. Mentioning “time” in the headline gives the reader the exact investment required from their side and they are mostly appreciative of the fact.
For example, some time back ,I had given my own viewpoint for improvement as a writer ,based on the marvelous bits of advises ,that I had gleaned from various authors in the post The 5 min read, that will make you a TOP Writer. Adding “time” to the headline not only enticed the readers to click the post but also solicited great responses from them.
Revealing a “SECRET” Always Works
People love secrets and the “kick” or “thrill” received by “uncovering” a secret cannot be overstated. Readers are no different in this aspect. All readers love to read about the 1 amazing “way” or “secret” which can improve their lives in some way or help them to utilize their time in a meaningful way. However, care should be taken to ensure that, the “secret” or “way” shared is based on personal experiences which readers can use and can relate to in their lives.
I experienced the same when I shared the story of the father who cultivated the habit of reading within his child in The 1 Amazing Way, to Make Your Child LOVE Reading. This story of mine got me lot of personal messages from anxious “parents” who wanted to know more details and bring improvements within their children. The emotional aspect of the story generated a lot of interest.
Expose a “PROBLEM” and then give the “SOLUTION” in easy Steps
Readers love when we as writers bring problems to their notice. These problems should be problems that they can relate to, and with which they are struggling every day in their daily lives.
But merely telling the problem will not get your any brownie points. You will also have to give the “solution” to the problem in easy “steps” which can be easily followed by readers. Be the problem solver.
This is what exactly happened when I wrote How to DEFEAT the “COMFORT ZONE” in 3 Powerful Steps?. This blog talks about the state of inertia that get settled in when people overstay in their comfort zones. This blog then later talks about, how to get out of the comfort zones in 3 simple steps. Readers were highly appreciative of the solution provided in this post.
Bringing it all Together
Success as a writer, depends only on readers. The more the readers are enticed by your story, the more success you get; simple as that. Always remember, writing may be food for the soul, but for that food to be FIT for public consumption, it has to be immensely READABLE and LIKABLE and that is the writer’s ultimate responsibility to ensure.