The Art and Business of Online Writing: How to Beat the Game of Capturing and Keeping Attention

by Nicolas Cole

Techniques for making your Stories “better” than the competition (in addition to all the other techniques described above) are: “Better” Openers: If everyone else is taking their sweet time getting to the point, blow right past them and start writing at the moment of conflict or achievement. (Every single sentence you write online, you are fighting for the reader’s attention. If your story “gets better” four paragraphs later, delete your first four paragraphs. You don’t need them.) “Better” Transitions: If everyone else is writing long-winded, overly descriptive, and slow-as-molasses prose, do the opposite. Tell an entire story in four sentences. Add a page break. And then move on to the next powerful story or thought. There are no rules in writing. All that matters is you keep the reader’s eyes moving down the page. “Better” Characters: If everyone else in your niche or genre names their characters regular names like John and Sarah, name your characters XY-2 and UU-5. If everyone else’s characters have regular hobbies like playing soccer or the guitar, give your characters more unique hobbies like tie-dying safari hats. Whether you’re creating fictional characters in your imagination, or choosing true stories to retell, you always want to be searching for the unconventional. Remember: what’s expected is boring. What’s unexpected is exciting, new, and different. “Better” Language: If everyone else is writing in formal English with perfect grammar, try writing in a dialect ...