How to Write Like Your Hair’s on Fire

And keep your readers intrigued

What inspires you to write unencumbered, flying by the seat of your pants with your hair on fire?

What makes you want to burn through the pages? Many of you are online nonfiction content writers like myself. We produce ample material. We don’t always exude passion and excitement, especially if we’re writing how-to articles or giving advice.

How do we avoid blandly written, “heard it before” type articles? I’m one of the millions giving writing advice. I need to stand out from the crowd if I want someone to read and benefit.

Like musicians or other artists, we need to appeal to our readers’ sense of novelty. We reuse old ideas and freshen them with new wrapping paper. Let’s include a new bonus gift inside to recapture someone’s interest.

How do we share our bonus gifts?

Here are a few key elements to ignite your passion and intrigue your readers:

Evoke emotions

Be vulnerable. Share your deep desires and disappointments. Gauge what needs to be shared by how it makes you feel.

Evoke an emotional response with a triumph over adversity, the birth of your child, your breakups, and more. Nuances of the human condition fascinate and inspire us.

I know one particular person who evokes emotion from me every time I think of him. Therefore, I write our story. I keep sharing my experience with him, because it’s momentous. If I can’t choose what to write about, he’s my go-to. It’s easy to share, healing for me, and helpful for my readers.

Write a personal story from your tender heart. Tell your readers when a special someone broke it into tiny pieces. Share your resolutions, life lessons, and ongoing struggles. Reveal your soul.

Some of my best work involves unraveling feelings or recounting an emotional experience. People want to hear they’re not alone. They want to identify with someone else’s story. They want deep and dirty.

The most passionate writing comes from accessing our emotions. If you’re not ready to air your dirty laundry, write fiction. We can write fictional stories from personal experiences without revealing the source. As I read a fictional piece yesterday, the author made me wonder if he made himself one of the characters. We often hear the truth is stranger than fiction. Pull from your emotional well and pour out your story in the way it presents itself.

Take a pause on writing

If you feel like you’ve lost your writing mojo, push the pause button. We need breaks to allow ideas to simmer. Anyone cooking soup knows it tastes best after the flavors have a chance to mingle. Your inspiration will return in no time.

If you don’t stop writing for the day, at least pause on publishing. Write what you consider inconsequential. Eventually, something will come together.

I don’t believe in writer’s block. Most of us have plenty to share every day. Sometimes the block is about perfectionism. I’ve felt it while writing this piece. I decided to ignore my doubts and bring it on anyway. My best writing comes from letting that shit go.

Instead of seeing it as a block, we might need to organize our thoughts on the page. For online content creators, it’s also a matter of dovetailing our interests with those of our audience.

Taking small breaks from our writing will help us create better stories. We hit the refresh button and, bam! We’ve hit the mother lode. If you’re reading this and you’re a writer or artist of any kind, you know that I mean. Don’t push anything. Let it flow. Imagine yourself floating down a river, rather than swimming upstream. It’s much easier this way, right?

Observe the quirks of human nature

While you take a break, watch people around you. It’s so fun and the best way to find fresh material. These days, we observe a lot online. But not long ago, writers went to coffee shops to work. We went for the ambiance and collectively getting in the zone. We also did our fair share of people watching.

I used to type whatever I observed in free association journaling. Though I didn’t use much of it, this practice allowed for more creative ideas to pour into me.

I have a confession. I eavesdrop. Whether I’m standing in line or sitting at a restaurant booth, I can’t help myself. I’m innately curious about people, and I have a talent for paying attention to many things at once. I try not to be rude, so I’ve kept most of it to myself. But if folks publicly share personal stuff, why not share your observations tastefully (or not so tastefully) in a story?

Humans are weird, funny, and diverse. If you’re running out of ideas, study other people. You’ll never run out of things to say, I promise.

Find the absurdly hilarious

My fellow writer friend Ryan Fan recently began writing more satire. It’s a good fit for him, as he nails the quirkiness and absurdities of human nature. He says what we’re feeling, with a humorous twist.

There’s laughter in the absurd. And wow, we have many absurdities to write about these days. I haven’t yet mastered the art of humor writing, but I plan to try it. If you want passion, you’ll find it in satire. It can transform feelings of frustration or angst into light-hearted fun. We could use more laughter in our lives. No matter how serious some things can get, it’s important to lighten up sometimes.

Offer unique solutions

Please stop telling other writers to “just write more.” We want to hear your original idea or at least a new spin on something old. I realize there’s massive content oozing out of the Internet right now, but let’s stretch our creative minds as best we can.

Readers are tired of scrolling through a repeat of the same crap. Like a musician who adds a new riff to an otherwise familiar song, we can create fresh solutions. Our world is changing more rapidly than ever these days. We’re bound to find novel ideas hiding in the attics of our minds. Dust off the cobwebs and put it out there. I want to hear from you.

Be honest

Don’t try to be exuberant when you’re not feeling it. Tell the truth. Don’t try to slog through some humdrum article on the mating habits of bats (although it would be interesting for me, I’m just saying) if you have zero interest. Maybe a better example would be bitcoin if it were me. But I digress.

Do write when you have a big feeling like anger. Include a potential solution or alternative view. Satire and rants work, too. Nonfiction freelance writers have the luxury of choosing whatever topic floats their boat. You can write about anything you want. Why not rev it up with what you’re feeling in the moment?

Final word on starting the fire

If you want to write like your hair’s on fire, you have to follow your passion. My favorite writing includes the elements I’ve mentioned, plus raw talent on display.

Keep writing your personal stories. Tell me about your wins and disappointments. Share your feelings. Take breaks from writing, to let your creative juices mingle. Do some people watching, then share your observations. Find laughter in the absurd. Dig deep to share something new. And above all, be honest.

Your writing has the power to ignite someone else’s passion. Get fired up and watch your readers come back for more.

Related reads:

Let’s stay in touch. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Thanks for reading.