It goes something like this:
Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2025 9:23 am
Forget the “Have-in-Common” entry
I always warn against this entry – and so does William Zinsser.
"What do Bruce Willis, Adolf Hitler and Gerhard Schröder have in common? They love beer."
I don't know if that's true - I just thought of this introduction. The problem with this introduction: It's used so often that it seems boring, long-winded and very artificial.
Get rid of it.
24) Start in the middle
Beginners tell a story from finland telegram screening A to B. From left to right. From morning to evening.
The professional immediately enters in the middle:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” – Stephen King’s first sentence in “The Dark Tower”
According to Stephen King, one of the best sentences he ever wrote.
25) Finish on a high note
Too many items end up like five-year-old chewing gum: tough, chewed, tasteless.
Put at least as much thought into the last sentence as you did the first.
Because the last sentence is the one that is most likely to be remembered – this is called the recency effect.
26) Conclusion? Why?
80 percent of all closing words and conclusions can be omitted.
Because look at it this way: Why do you need a conclusion? Because you think your readers are too stupid to understand the main idea?
I always warn against this entry – and so does William Zinsser.
"What do Bruce Willis, Adolf Hitler and Gerhard Schröder have in common? They love beer."
I don't know if that's true - I just thought of this introduction. The problem with this introduction: It's used so often that it seems boring, long-winded and very artificial.
Get rid of it.
24) Start in the middle
Beginners tell a story from finland telegram screening A to B. From left to right. From morning to evening.
The professional immediately enters in the middle:
“The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.” – Stephen King’s first sentence in “The Dark Tower”
According to Stephen King, one of the best sentences he ever wrote.
25) Finish on a high note
Too many items end up like five-year-old chewing gum: tough, chewed, tasteless.
Put at least as much thought into the last sentence as you did the first.
Because the last sentence is the one that is most likely to be remembered – this is called the recency effect.
26) Conclusion? Why?
80 percent of all closing words and conclusions can be omitted.
Because look at it this way: Why do you need a conclusion? Because you think your readers are too stupid to understand the main idea?