The 3 “C’s” to Make Your Articles Better

We are often bombarded with tips on how to write better. However, I have decided to organize these tips in an old but simple memory device: Alliteration and repetition, thus this blog entry is titled, “The 3 “C’s” to Make Your Articles Better”. I hope this makes my thought easier to follow and hopefully, harder to forget. This is what good writers and speakers do continually.

Effective use of the 3 “C’s” will help you to have a distinct flavour in your articles and enable your readers to remember it more vividly.

1. Contrast and comparison
Contrast and comparison brings life to your article. They flow subtly but effectively through the best creative articles. Examples include comparing ourselves with others or society norm, comparing the present and the past or differences in personalities and backgrounds.
Comparison and contrast weave the various arguments and facets of the piece together. This helps to establish ground with your reader as you acknowledge the opposition or have given thought to their common concerns.

2. Characterisation
Opportunities for characterisation are aplenty in humorous articles. The ability to draw vivid characters is also important to personal experience articles.
This may play on stereotypes and is pretty fun as how little descriptions insinuate and plant images into a reader’s mind. Take for example, what kind of a mental picture is evoked with the following description, “As she flashes her new Tiffany & Co. bracelet to her friends”. Perhaps a materialistic and flamboyant young lady comes to mind. Nothing much has been said except for the key words, “flashes”, “new Tiffany & Co. bracelet” and “friends”, indicating she probably does this frequently and seeks external validation.
Thus give your characters some thought and make them come to life. This gives your work that extra quality that sets it apart from the ordinary.

3. Catchphrase
A catchphrase may make a lively title or it can be what your article is remembered for. It could be a single sentence or a bit of dialogue taken even from the movies. Do you remember Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise back in 1996? “Show me the money!” became an unavoidable catchphrase for a long time and emotions or images associated with crisis of conscience or life will be evoked with a simple use of that catchphrase.

Catchphrase is especially effective in nostalgia pieces or in the personal essays as it catches your attention. However, do remember to use it sparingly for maximum effect.