This Is One of the Best, Most Illuminating and Helpful Articles I Have Ever Read
On praise, journalism, powerful writing, getting boosted, and making money from an empty tin
“This is one of the best, most illuminating and helpful articles I have ever read.”
What a fantastic comment to receive from one of the most admired writers on this platform. I was tickled pink as a begonia. Chuffed as a child with a new choo-choo.
The response was from Michelle Scorziello to my article To Be a Journalist You Need to Know the Bottom Line.
The article gives you a paragraph of information and you have to make up a headline. It’s a worthy writing exercise. Most people are blown away by the breathtaking bottom line.
How could anyone top this?
Well, someone did. CJ Sterling came up with an even more mind-blowing headline. CJ is a journalist — of course she is — she read the text, delved deeper, and wrote her headline in the comments.
I urge you to try it for yourself before reading the bottom line, then have a look at CJ’s suggestion.
Going viral
First, there was nothing. From nothing came curation. Curation morphed into distribution. We went back to nothing. And now we have boosted.
Is there a difference?
I was boosted to get boosted. Creative Writers in the Know Use the Power of Congeries shot out of the window, danced around outside, and I welcomed it home with a smile as big as a lemon shark.
It is uplifting to see an article take off. It has had over 4k views (the majority external) over 5k claps and dozens of positively bedazzling comments.
Congeries is a powerful writing tool but there is an even stronger one:
Anaphora — This Simple Writing Technique Is the Most Powerful and Persuasive Device explains all.
Some stories are worth telling
This French Student Made Money Selling a Tin Full of Nothing didn’t do so well. It only had 38 views. The strange thing: it had 11 readers and 13 fans.
I make that 120% of people reading it, liked it.
It’s a great story.
Falsehood, fraud and wilful imposition
I read about Fox News being sued for knowingly promoting falsehoods that voting machines were rigged and it prompted me to write about the world’s most dangerous concoction.
I Don’t Want to Scaremonger, But —
I finally got this one off my chest
March finished with a mini mystery
I’ll be honest, I was scouring classic writers for writing tips and tricks — and I am stealing them. Philip Larkin had my favourite example:
It’s a Mini Mystery, This Odd Writing Device
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Happy Easter Everyone.
