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Abstract

p><h1 id="5da5">Reverse-engineer your post</h1>So what does this mean? Beginning with the title in mind. Craft your title in a particular format and then go from there. It could be “X Ways/Strategies/Hacks to do Y” or many other listicle formats.You don’t need to know what your entire article is going to say before you write it. In fact, the most effective way I’ve found so far to unleash a stream of ideas is to ask myself questions about the title. I strive to find an angle that hasn’t been covered before and back it up with my life experience.You might come up with this title: “5 Essential Traits of Life-Long Learners”. Why 5 exactly? Well, you have no idea, it’s just a random number in your head, but you’re pretty sure you can come up with 5 traits and 5 paragraphs about them. After all, you identify as a lifelong learner and have a lot to say about the topic. And so the brainstorming process begins.Pretty soon, you have the structure of your story all mapped out, and the writing flows quickly and effortlessly.P.S. Ben Hardy does this too.<h1 id="72de">Find a balance between personal and relatable</h1>Nobody wants to read generic advice from someone who doesn’t have a strong reputation and/or life experience to back them up. So spice up your listicles with stories from your own life, but make sure they’re relatable. Leave out details that are too specific and aren’t necessary for you to make a point.It’s funny how the readers want to know us, but not that much, not really. Readers want to feel understood. They want to know they’re not alone in their journey but don’t care enough to read a diary entry.On the other side of the spectrum, you don’t want to sound too impersonal or detached. You might come off as disingenuous or a know-it-all.I struggle with this aspect the most. I mean, I work with teeth, who cares enough to read about that? But inside my career, I’ve gone through enough hardships to be qualified to talk about mental health, fear, failure, self-care, relationships, and various other topics. And most likely, you also have plenty of stories to tell too.<h1 id="b74a">Learn to summarize</h1>This one is crucial

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in today’s heavy-stimulus world. With the attention span of a goldfish, no wonder we can’t focus for too long on any given paragraph.Learn to make your writing short and snappy.Got a life lesson to share? I like to do a brain dump. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just random ideas scribbled onto paper or inside a draft. Once I see an outline forming, I map out my arguments and limit the number of thoughts inside my list.After all, listicles are to be consumed frivolously, not dwelled upon, and examined. So be sure to make your point, and be convincing. The very ability to create a compelling summary says a lot about your writing.Also, remember that easily digestible articles aren’t only about white space and short paragraphs. They’re also about quick, impactful ideas.For me, the act of organizing my thoughts and processing my experience in this structured manner is very therapeutic.<h1 id="12fa">Main takeaway</h1>There you have it, folks, a listicle about writing listicles, with a twist. I know this works because I’ve used all of the strategies above to quickly create this article:<ul><li>I reverse-engineered my title:</li></ul>When starting out, I had no idea what this post would evolve into. It was supposed to be satire, initially, since I’m still sometimes conflicted about writing list posts. But, lo and behold, as I worked my title, it turned into a guide on writing listicles.<ul><li>I inserted personal experience in most paragraphs:</li></ul>Did I mention I work with people’s teeth? Any idea how I can fit that into any other articles?<ul><li>I’ve kept ideas short and to the point:</li></ul>Keep rambling to a minimum.<ul><li>I’ve structured my story into an acceptable format:</li></ul>I genuinely believe that as long as you focus on writing a story that fits into the recommended formats but at the same time offers a fresh and new perspective, you will be successful.Don’t forget to write with the reader in mind, while also providing value with your unique life lessons and experiences. After all, that’s what this platform is all about.Happy writing!</article></body>

How to Turn Any Life Lesson Into A Successful Listicle

Leverage your life experience to create helpful stories

I’m new to the creative’s life and already feel like, when uninspired, the writing process is like pushing a giant boulder uphill. It’s challenging and painful, and giving up would mean losing all your hard work and starting all over again.

Despite all this struggle, I truly believe we all have something to say based on our own life experience. We are unique individuals each on our particular journey, and we’re designed to connect and learn from one another.

Even if good ideas are hard to come by, there might be some tricks to speed up the writing process, and some of you may have been unknowingly using these tools all along.

So why not reach into your bag of experiences and see what value you can share with the world through your writing? Here’s how to do it:

Write in a list format

I was listening to an interview with Ben Hardy the other day about the process of writing for an online audience, mainly writing on Medium. I highly recommend you check it out. He explains how list posts are still performing well to this day, and they’re a great way to structure an article.

You may roll your eyes at listicles. I sure did for a while, especially with the number of boring list posts out there offering no real value. But they work for a reason.

The structure is appealing because it offers both a backbone to your piece and a sneak peek to your readers. If your subtitles aren’t enticing enough or in line with what you promised in the title, your readers will click away.

Reverse-engineer your post

So what does this mean? Beginning with the title in mind. Craft your title in a particular format and then go from there. It could be “X Ways/Strategies/Hacks to do Y” or many other listicle formats.

You don’t need to know what your entire article is going to say before you write it. In fact, the most effective way I’ve found so far to unleash a stream of ideas is to ask myself questions about the title. I strive to find an angle that hasn’t been covered before and back it up with my life experience.

You might come up with this title: “5 Essential Traits of Life-Long Learners”. Why 5 exactly? Well, you have no idea, it’s just a random number in your head, but you’re pretty sure you can come up with 5 traits and 5 paragraphs about them. After all, you identify as a lifelong learner and have a lot to say about the topic. And so the brainstorming process begins.

Pretty soon, you have the structure of your story all mapped out, and the writing flows quickly and effortlessly.

P.S. Ben Hardy does this too.

Find a balance between personal and relatable

Nobody wants to read generic advice from someone who doesn’t have a strong reputation and/or life experience to back them up. So spice up your listicles with stories from your own life, but make sure they’re relatable. Leave out details that are too specific and aren’t necessary for you to make a point.

It’s funny how the readers want to know us, but not that much, not really. Readers want to feel understood. They want to know they’re not alone in their journey but don’t care enough to read a diary entry.

On the other side of the spectrum, you don’t want to sound too impersonal or detached. You might come off as disingenuous or a know-it-all.

I struggle with this aspect the most. I mean, I work with teeth, who cares enough to read about that? But inside my career, I’ve gone through enough hardships to be qualified to talk about mental health, fear, failure, self-care, relationships, and various other topics. And most likely, you also have plenty of stories to tell too.

Learn to summarize

This one is crucial in today’s heavy-stimulus world. With the attention span of a goldfish, no wonder we can’t focus for too long on any given paragraph.

Learn to make your writing short and snappy.

Got a life lesson to share? I like to do a brain dump. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just random ideas scribbled onto paper or inside a draft. Once I see an outline forming, I map out my arguments and limit the number of thoughts inside my list.

After all, listicles are to be consumed frivolously, not dwelled upon, and examined. So be sure to make your point, and be convincing. The very ability to create a compelling summary says a lot about your writing.

Also, remember that easily digestible articles aren’t only about white space and short paragraphs. They’re also about quick, impactful ideas.

For me, the act of organizing my thoughts and processing my experience in this structured manner is very therapeutic.

Main takeaway

There you have it, folks, a listicle about writing listicles, with a twist. I know this works because I’ve used all of the strategies above to quickly create this article:

I reverse-engineered my title:

When starting out, I had no idea what this post would evolve into. It was supposed to be satire, initially, since I’m still sometimes conflicted about writing list posts. But, lo and behold, as I worked my title, it turned into a guide on writing listicles.

I inserted personal experience in most paragraphs:

Did I mention I work with people’s teeth? Any idea how I can fit that into any other articles?

I’ve kept ideas short and to the point:

Keep rambling to a minimum.

I’ve structured my story into an acceptable format:

I genuinely believe that as long as you focus on writing a story that fits into the recommended formats but at the same time offers a fresh and new perspective, you will be successful.

Don’t forget to write with the reader in mind, while also providing value with your unique life lessons and experiences. After all, that’s what this platform is all about.

Happy writing!