Curious about what might be flying under the radar on Steemit, I decided to have a look at the new posts feed. Scanning through the titles and reading a few articles, I noticed a trend. Most of the contributors were making the same mistakes over and over again: They wouldn't hook you in the title. They would write three paragraphs and quit. They would stick to dry facts instead of trying to tell a story. They'd talk about things and forget about the people.
However, the contributors got three things right, for the most part: Spelling, grammar and choice of subject.
The fact that these contributors almost got it right prompted me to take action. They were so close, yet so far away. I began to critique their articles, attempting to point them in the right direction. Ultimately, I realized that this was futile. There were simply too many articles being posted, and more crucially, beginning writers would not yet be accustomed to being critiqued, so there was a good chance that my input would be most unwelcome.
Having ruled out that option, I decided that it would be better to make an article. I sat down at my overcrowded desk and began to write...
As I wrote, I began to tell a story. I started the article by jumping straight into that story and I consistently kept it going, in order to keep the reader wanting to know what happened next. I started a part of the story (what you're reading now) by describing my setting, to give the reader a mental picture to work off of. I made it a story about myself, since I knew that interesting stories would almost always involve people, not things.
Some days prior, when I wrote my self-introduction on Steem, I decided to make it one long story. I spent hours chaining small stories together into a bigger narrative with a defined beginning, middle and end. I would go back several times to insert details in order to have a later part of the story make sense. I made an effort with the pictures. It was a lot of work, but I knew that a good article wouldn't be easy write; that nothing good was every easy to create.
Later on, as I began to write my article about left wingers and right wingers, I recalled that a good journalist—a good writer—could turn almost anything into a story; so I wrote a story about two populations of mice to keep my readers engaged as I made my point. I always liked the book title "A Tale of Two Cities", because it was a title that made me immediately curious. Were these cities friendly or hostile? Did they have a war? What happened? Because it was so good, I decided to steal it and adapt it for the article.
Now...
There are many things that make a good article. It doesn't always have to be a story, but it's a very commonly employed technique. In many cases, it's what separates the pages of a dry school book from those of an engaging novel or news piece. Start thinking about what you enjoy in a good story, and start emulating it. Pay attention to the tricks your favorite writers employ. Steal them.
Last, but not least, focus on what makes your subject interesting, and ask yourself why anyone should read your article. Now, go out there and write something great. I can't wait to hear your stories!
