The other day at a newspaper's web site, I spotted this headline for a story from the Associated Press: "Naked Couple Grapple Over Dog Near Shower."
I was researching something else, but I had to stop and check out the naked couple story. What did the dog have to do with it? And, for that matter, the shower?
Well, it turns out they were taking a shower together and the guy wanted his dog in the bathroom with them. Don't ask me why, they didn't go into that part in the article. Anyway, his girlfriend didn't want the dog there, and they got into an argument that turned physical. The girlfriend was arrested for investigation of second-degree assault (she threw a picture frame that broke and cut him).
Another headline from the same site: "Men Shoot Themselves in Tattoo Attempt." It worked again: I felt compelled to find out how you could possibly shoot yourself while trying to give yourself a tattoo.
The reason I'm telling you all this? I believe that this headline illustrates a hugely powerful tool that writers can use: namely, the power of curiosity. We human beings are wired for it. Even when we know that we should be doing something else, when something arouses our curiosity, we just have to find out what's going on.
How can you harness the power of curiosity for your writing? Let's take the example of a book. Most people have a set routine when browsing at a book store: look at the title, look at the front cover, look at the back cover, then look at the table of contents if it's a non-fiction book, or the first page if it's a novel. Each of these gives writers the chance to heighten curiosity.
CURIOSITY-AROUSING TITLES
More and more, authors are giving their books intriguing titles. A recent example: "The Secret." Who doesn't want to know a secret, much less THE Secret? Or how about "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?" What the heck are hallows, especially deathly ones? Or the marketing book, "Made to Stick"-that one hooks you long enough to read the sub-title, "Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die," which explains what the book is about while at the same time arousing further curiosity.
THE POWERFUL BACK COVER
The back cover usually features some testimonials that reinforce the idea that you'll find something useful inside. The best ones also raise our curiosity level more. Compare these two testimonials:
"Joe Bloggs has written the best book on getting organized that I've ever read. It's helped me a lot. - Martin Smith"
"Joe Bloggs reveals the three secrets that finally allowed me to get organized. - Martin Smith"
The first just makes me wonder whether Joe and Martin are old pals. The second makes me wonder what these three secrets could be.
CAN YOUR TABLE OF CONTENTS KEEP A SECRET?
A good table of contents should reveal what's in the book but still keep some secrets. For example, let's say I'm interested in a book about how to conduct better meetings. A traditional table of contents might include these chapters:
The importance of having an agenda
How to make sure everybody participates
Keeping to a schedule
These are all valid topics, but frankly they sound boring. I get the feeling I've heard all this before. Compare that to these chapter titles:
SATNAV power for meetings
Even the guy under the table has an opinion
How to finish meetings before you die
The core content may be the same in both cases but the second version sounds more interesting. If you think these titles are a little too flamboyant or obscure, you could combine the two:
SATNAV power for meetings: the importance of having an agenda
With that version it's more clear what the chapter is about, but it still suggests that it will be an entertaining read.
The final thing people tend to look at before making a decision about buying is the first sentence. Lots of novels take advantage of this, with anything from "Call me Ishmael," to "The first time I tried to kill my husband was on a Tuesday-or maybe Wednesday, because it was after midnight." The same can work in non-fiction. In my marketing book, "Do Something Different," my first sentence starts, "I hope you're feeling frustrated..." My point was that if the readers were frustrated about getting out the word about their product or service and wanted to find out how to do so cheaply and quickly, this book was about to give them exactly what they wanted.
And now I'm curious how you are going to use this principle to make your writing more appealing.
P.S.: The men who accidentally shot themselves were trying to trace a loaded .357 Magnum as a pattern for a tattoo. The gun went off and the bullet hit both of them, but neither had life-threatening injuries.
| Price : $247.97 | Post Date : Dec 22, 2011 09:17:07
