Do you find yourself running out of emotional and creative gas that keeps you from being the prolific writer you want to be?
Finding the mental fire to start or finish your drafts isn’t about waiting for motivational lightning to strike. It’s about actively establishing systems that intertwine with your drafting process and using formulas you can seamlessly integrate during that stage.
Maximize interest by using themes that include unexpected pivots and detours, skillfully playing with words and phrases, inserting intriguing data, and having relevant quotes to support your claims. Artfully using some or all of these techniques will improve the readability and overall quality while preserving the original meaning.
Even while writing my dissertation, I incorporated some of these elements to make it more exciting. I started off using a surprising metaphor comparing the aggressive behavior of birds with mobbing in higher education. I showcased the most poignant data and highlighted relevant quotes to add emphasis.
Throughout the chapters, I focused on making it interesting, which is a challenging task when writing a dissertation. My previous advisor continues to use it as a sample for other students to read in her intro Ph.D. writing courses.
So, with a little editing effort, you can turn ordinary prose into extraordinary ones. If I can do it with a dissertation, it’s achievable with any content.
1. Incorporating an unconventional twist
Find ways to throw a curveball into your copy to draw your audience in once they click on your story. According to the latest data¹, only 2 out of 10 people who read the headline go on to finish the article. The last thing you want is to lose one or, worse, both of those individuals because your publication lacked a powerful introduction.
I like to compare topics that seem completely unrelated and weave them together like I did with my dissertation intro. Stories, metaphors, and imaginative analogies build mystery and intrigue. It’s an…