15 Ways to Make Your Writing Stickier

  1. Use a surprising image: Eat That Frog: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time (more than 450,000 copies sold and translated into 23 languages).
  2. Imply the impossible: IttyBiz’s How to Make $12,246 In A Day
  3. Be Tweetable: A recent post on Skelliewag.orgProductivity in 11 words: One thing at a time. / Most important thing first. / Start now. (Retweeted a gajillion times – unofficial count.)
  4. Juxtapose concepts: How To Blog Like Shakespeare
  5. Create an unusual metaphor: “Love is like racing across the frozen tundra on a snowmobile which flips over, trapping you underneath. At night, the ice-weasels come.” — Matt Groening
  6. Controversial premise: How the Beatles Destroyed Rock and Roll
  7. Jargonize: Make up your own term or nickname for something.
  8. Be Seth Godin: Write cool manifestos
  9. Be funny: See #5
  10. Swear a little: Batshit Crazy: Creative Ways To Meet Your Goals
  11. Evoke a feeling: Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur
  12. Go negative: I Do Everything Wrong by Johnny B. Truant
  13. Be Free Free Free: Dave Navarro’s time management manifesto requires no sign up and is under a Creative Commons license to allow free sharing, remixing and reuse of his content.
  14. Never underestimate the power of story: Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Yeah, they’re corny. There are also 105 different titles at last count (and a brand of pet food) all built on simple uplifting stories.
  15. Make it concrete: This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?
2 Responses to 15 Ways to Make Your Writing Stickier
  1. Tatyana
    February 5, 2010 | 6:50 pm

    Wow– Those WAYS are so enticing, it MAKES me want to write an e-book.

    Thanks for the tips and the great examples!

    Tatyana

  2. Tammy Strobel
    February 6, 2010 | 10:45 am

    Great post! I’m working on my first ebook right now. So I’ll incorporate these tips. :)

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