| How to write marketing articles using great | | | | "Money's a horrid thing to follow, but a charming |
| sentences? | | | | thing to meet." (Henry James) |
| "The difference between the almost right word | | | | "Americans are so charming, that we really must |
| and the right word... is the difference between the | | | | not mind their money." ( Florence L Barclay) |
| lightning bug and the lightning." -Mark Twain | | | | Henry James balances or juxtaposes (juxtapose |
| This short article is going to examine the | | | | and juxtaposition are such great words!) 'horrid |
| construction of great arresting sentences - the | | | | thing' and 'charming thing'. Florence L Barclay |
| one that stands out, the one that manages to | | | | balances, more abstractly, 'charming' and 'must |
| gather together ideas, stereotypes and prejudices | | | | not mind', again there is a juxtaposition or reversal |
| to shine a light on them and reveal an underlying, | | | | between being charmed by something and the |
| often unsaid, truth. | | | | advice not to mind something i.e something we |
| For the internet marketer, an interesting well | | | | don't find charming. |
| written article will get you noticed and create | | | | Look at Edgar A Shoaff going to town with |
| interest. This will take a little extra time and effort | | | | balancing opposites: |
| but it will produce an article in which you can show | | | | "Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of |
| your worth and knowledge and let your | | | | half truths." |
| individuality shine through. Of course, there is a | | | | Lies versus truths and whole versus half really |
| more automated way - you can cut and paste an | | | | stops the reader in their tracks and will make |
| article and wring it through a spinner - this basically | | | | them read over the sentence again and think |
| acts like a Thesaurus enabling you to change | | | | about its meaning. |
| words within the text. The end result will be an | | | | Similes are a great way to bring home your point. |
| article that search engines will see as 'different' | | | | Again there's often juxtaposition. Here's Raymond |
| from the original article. This is, for most people, a | | | | Chandler: |
| quicker way but it will never hit the mark, as far | | | | "He looked about as inconspicuous as a tarantula |
| as quality is concerned, in the way that a piece of | | | | on a slice of angel cake." |
| well written original content will. | | | | Angel cake and tarantula is a fabulous piece of |
| God is in the details. The detail in an article is | | | | juxtaposition. It's difficult to think of two things |
| conveyed by the sentence. What's the trick to | | | | quite so different and its impact is really powerful. |
| writing a great sentence? There are a few, here's | | | | Here's some more great sentences that use |
| an important one: | | | | similes or comparisons: |
| - Reversal. A reversal stops the reader in their | | | | "Doing business without advertising is like winking |
| tracks as the brain is jolted by the unexpected. | | | | at a girl in the dark." Stuart Henderson Britt |
| Look at part of a sentence from Mark Twain: "I | | | | "A man who stops advertising to save money is |
| have never let my schooling interfere with....." OK, | | | | like a man who stops a clock to save time." |
| fairly ordinary so far. What do we expect next? - | | | | Henry Ford |
| my self esteem? my confidence? my job | | | | So now the trick is to see if you can use these |
| prospects? | | | | ideas and structures to invent your own within |
| What did Mark Twain write: | | | | the subject you are writing about. |
| "I have never let my schooling interfere with my | | | | - Writing articles without proofreading is like |
| education" | | | | putting on your pants without checking the fly. |
| This is a great example of a reversal, the reader | | | | - Writing an article without knowing your subject |
| has to stop a moment - how can schooling | | | | is like driving to Timbuktu without a map. |
| interfere with education? It seems a paradox, until | | | | - A marketer who stops networking is like a taxi |
| we understand that Mark Twain is pointing us | | | | driver who stops driving to save gas. |
| towards the idea that there are different forms | | | | This is powerful stuff. Think about and |
| of education - the one we get in school and the | | | | experiment with the ways you may be able to |
| one we get from our life experiences. I've just | | | | substitute your ideas into the basic structure of a |
| written 40 words to explain something he | | | | great quote. Study great quotes and see if you |
| punched through and packaged up in 10. | | | | can emulate their structure for your own |
| Another great trick is juxtaposition. It's a balancing | | | | purposes. |
| trick. It is often found in two clauses delivering an | | | | Here's to you writing great articles with that extra |
| unexpected twist, embellishing and reversing the | | | | spark, making people interested in you as a |
| first idea. Check out these two examples: | | | | quality marketer. |