This is an anecdote I often use to make a point...
One evening an old farmer was walking down a country lane.
He looked into a field and saw a group of young women bathing naked in a pond.
The women noticed him about the same time as he noticed them.
"One woman shouted, "We're not coming out until you leave."
The farmer replied, "Oh I'm not here to watch you ladies swimming naked or running around the meadow with nothing on.
I'm just here to feed the alligator."
Pay close attention to what's coming next.
Before I tell you about the biggest secret in all of content creation, did you get what happened in that story?
The first thing you probably noticed was the twist at the end.
You're taken in one direction and then, WHAM, you're off somewhere else.
I'm willing to bet you didn't notice the sentence construction throughout the story.
What am I talking about?
Every sentence "paints" a vivid picture.
Every "scene" is in the present tense.
One evening an old farmer was walking down a country lane.
You can see that in your mind, can't you?
What if it read…
"At some point during the evening a person decided to take a walk."
Hard to get any images in your mind, isn't it?
He looked into a field and saw a group of young women bathing naked in a pond.
Did you see the three vivid images in that scene?
The scene also has a beginning, a middle and an end.
Then there's a transition to the next scene.
The women noticed him about the same time as he noticed them.
Now a new set of images.
"One woman shouted, "We're not coming out until you leave."
Now here's the set up for the twist.
The farmer replied, "Oh I'm not here to watch you ladies swimming naked or running around the meadow with nothing on.
And of course, you remember the twist.
The twist is the biggest secret in all of content writing.
Any time you can surprise your reader you win in two ways.
The second way is far more important than the first.
However, you need to know the first way you win so you can grasp the second way.
If you're story has an interesting twist your reader can share it with their online friends.
And that's great for you.
Think of your content as social currency.
If you're an acronym junkie like me, you'll love this one.
BOY PT MOM.
Because of you people think more of me.
When you make your readers look good in the eyes of their friends, they will share your content.
Believe me, it works better than paying for ads.
Now for that second way you win.
With a great twist like the one you read here… you create a "pattern interrupt" in the mind of your reader.
In other words, you take control of their attention.
You become a "director of consciousness."
There's a story about the late, great hypnotherapist Milton Erickson.
One sunny morning he walked to his car parked in a remote parking spot.
Suddenly a short man wearing a trilby hat, shoved a gun in Mr. Erickson's chest.
"Hand me your wallet or I'll kill you."
Milton casually looked at his watch, gave the man the exact time down to the second.
And calmy walked away.
Why did that work?
The confused mind goes into limbo.
How to use this in your writing.
Right after your plot twist, give your reader a command.
- Tell them to do something.
- Give them a link to your offer.
- Ask them to subscribe.
- Invite them to join your email list.
About my next email...
How about I show you the difference between emotional and unemotional words?
If you're going to write anything worth reading, you MUST stir up emotions in your reader.
Otherwise, your content is 'all gong and no dinner.'
People consume content for the emotional highs and lows.
For the tears and the laughter.
The despair and the hope.
And the whack on the side of the head.
That means you will want to read the next email
Until then.
Barry (the pattern interrupter) Dunlop.
IncomeDiary.com
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UNITED KINGDOM
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