NMX 2014 - Blogging - The Art of Crafting Jaw-Dropping Content: Why You Should Forget Everything You Learned in School
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In this session, you'll learn how to take your content from good and even great to unforgettable. Want to learn more? Access slides and audio recordings of this session and more when you purchase the NMX Virtual Ticket at http://nmxlive.com/virtual/ Learn why you should kill your darlings, murder your adverbs, and embrace active tense. Find out how to 'shape' your story, unlock the power of thirds, and tune into your natural pacing. Discover the power of simplicity, brevity and clarity.
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NMX 2014 - Blogging - The Art of Crafting Jaw-Dropping Content: Why You Should Forget Everything You Learned in School
- 2. “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.”
- 3. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
- 4. “Where’s Papa going with that ax?”
- 6. “(Writing) is architecture, not interior decoration.” - Ernest Hemingway
- 7. 1. Foundation 2. Framing 3. Finishes
- 8. Foundation Click to Add Title
- 11. Don’t Couch Yourself. Academic Based on my observations, I’ve discovered that ... Blog Here’s what I found.
- 12. Don’t Couch Yourself. Academic Blog It’s essential to be Be careful when cautious while you pick a house. selecting a primary residence.
- 14. “Leave out the boring parts.” - Elmore Leonard, author of Get Shorty
- 15. Write Tight Academic They have the ability to ... A greater number They’re at the age at which they’re least likely ... Blog They can ... More They probably won’t ...
- 16. Make Every Word Justify Its Existence Academic Blog experienced lawyer lawyer
- 17. Make Every Word Justify Its Existence Academic Blog But what I do have I have is a ...
- 18. Make Every Word Justify Its Existence Academic Blog When you’re finished up ... When you’re finished ...
- 20. Editing Hacks: Watch for repetitive verb forms • Rather than trying to draw the blueprints ... • Rather than drawing the blueprints ...
- 21. Editing Hacks: Group Parts of Speech Together • Buy the medicine and distribute it. • Buy and distribute the medicine.
- 22. Microsoft: “Your potential inspires us to create software that helps you reach it.”
- 23. Editing Hacks: Start with subject • Approximately 4,000 years ago, cats were domesticated. • Cats were domesticated about 4,000 years ago.
- 24. Editing Hacks: When you read the paper, look for coupons. The weekly circular lists sales. Clip coupons. Read the circular. To see what’s on sale, look at the Check the website. website. You can combine manufacturer Combine discounts. and store discounts.
- 25. Framing Click to Add Title
- 27. Click to Add Title
- 28. Click to Add Title
- 29. Click to Add Title
- 32. Finishes Click to Add Title
- 34. Vary Sentence Length “Write to reflect the natural ebb and flow of pitch, the pause and intake of breath.” “See?”
- 35. Sudden Break “Then right-click on the square – hey, are you still with me?”
- 36. Rhyme “An apple a day ... Decreases the risk of coronary failure.”
- 42. “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” – Stephen King
- 43. Murder Your Adverbs “He shut the door forcefully.” “He slammed the door.” “She spoke softly.” “She whispered.”
- 44. “He ran faster and fell.” “The heavily pregnant woman ...”
- 46. “Pops” of Expression “The bill came to $4,000. Ouch!”
- 47. “Pops” of Expression “They’ll announce it Friday. Yikes!”
- 48. “Pops” of Expression “Cue slow clap.”
- 49. Teasers and Suspense “But that’s not all.”
- 50. Teasers and Suspense “Then we saw it.”
- 51. Teasers and Suspense “That’s what I thought, too. Until last Friday.”
- 52. Visual Metaphor “Teach yourself to read in small sips as well as long swallows.” (Stephen King)
- 53. Concrete Details “Only the ties were different.”
- 54. Click to Add Title
- 55. Short Sticky Visual Strong Verbs and Adjectives
- 56. How to Get More Blog Traffic The ABC’s of Getting More Blog Traffic
- 57. Why Your Blog Traffic Has Stagnated 5 Reasons Your Blog Traffic Has Stagnated
- 58. 5 Shocking Reasons Why Your Blog Traffic is Stagnant
- 59. Do You Know Why Your Blog Traffic Is Stagnant?
- 60. Does Your Stagnant Blog Traffic Drive You Crazy? Does Your Stagnant Blog Traffic Make You Yank Your Hair Out and Scream?
- 61. “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.”
Editor's Notes
- Who am I?Why am I qualified to talk about this?Why is this subject important?
- You’re writing a blog post, not a doctoral thesis.
- Notice that I said “tight,” rather than “short.”
- Cut any word that isn’t necessary.
- Here are a few tactics, a few hacks, you can use to create clarity.
- Now that you’ve laid the foundation of good writing, the next step is to choose a shape for your story.
- 3-Part structure: Still maintain the inverted pyramid at the top. Then you make a quick twist in the middle, signaling that you’re switching to a narrative format, telling how the story unfolded chronologically.For example:Police shot and killed a 37-year-old local man after he disregarded their orders to drop his weapon.He was pronounced dead at the scene. No bystanders were harmed.Twist: The witnesses gave this latest account of his alleged madness:He became angry after going to a neighborhood bar on Friday night. He stormed into his ex-wife’s house and threatened to kill her. She called her mom.At the same time, a neighbor happened to be walking their dog and heard the commotion. The neighbor called 911.
- Also 3-part structure:Anecdotal LedeFollowed by Facts, Research, Data – And since this is a blog, helpful tips for your readers, bulletpoints.Circle back to Lede at the endFace behind the numbers,Then the numbers,Then the Face .... Or Close-up, Wide-Angle, Close-Up
- Rumplestilskin: spins straw into gold for her 3 times: first in exchange for her necklace, then her ring, and then her firstborn child. lets her guess his name 3 times, over the span of 3 daysScrooge gets 3 visits from 3 ghosts (past, present and future)Snow White: skin white as snow, lips red as blood, hair black as ebony ... gets 3 visits from wicked stepmother (first tries to kill her w/ corset that’s too tight, then with poisoned hair comb, and finally with poisoned apple)
- Hourglass + Sandwich are 3-part structuresWithin other story structures, like narrative arc, you’ll still find the rule of 3rdsThree Little Pigs / Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- “Grow Your Dough”
- NO ONE WANTS to “Pay Down” their debt.
- Even the master of horror, Stephen King himself, is afraid of something ...
- Adverbs are the peeling 1970’s laminate countertops, Killer Verbs are the stainless steelMURDER your adverbs.
- Anytime you see an adverb, replace it with a killer verb. THAT’S how you retain power.In fairness: murdering all adverbs is a little extreme. There are a rare few that deserve to live.
- Sol Stein
- Verbs pack the most punch, Adjectives are a close second
- Even if you reveal it in the very next line – you still establish tension, suspense, and then release.
- Even if you reveal it in the very next line – you still establish tension, suspense, and then release.
- Even if you reveal it in the very next line – you still establish tension, suspense, and then release.
- Literally add the illustration – sprinkle photos, images, stick figures, sidebar boxes throughout
- [Number]+[Adjective] + [What / Benefit]6 Hilarious Cat Videos12 Shocking Facts About Your Credit Score
- [Number]+[Adjective] + [What / Benefit]6 Hilarious Cat Videos12 Shocking Facts About Your Credit Score[Number]+[Adjective] + [What / Benefit]6 Hilarious Cat Videos12 Shocking Facts About Your Credit Score
- Change it to present tense – “has stagnated” = “is stagnant”Ask a question ... Immediately engages reader
- Change it to present tense – “has stagnated” = “is stagnant”Ask a question ... Immediately engages readerAdd a powerful adjective