As I look through my blog and other blogs, for some reason, the whole list thing seems to be pretty popular. \u201c5 ways to throw your back out in 15 seconds or less,\u201d \u201c19 reasons I don\u2019t care who you vote for,\u201d \u201c8 ways to feed a fish,\u201d \u201c88 reasons Jesus will return in \u201888\u201d (wait, that\u2019s an old one\u2026but it sold a lot of copies, I\u2019m told. But I really wouldn\u2019t know. I was like 10 then). And as I read these titles, even I\u2019m inclined to click on them. Here are 5 reasons I think this is a good idea, labeled with words I just totally made up.<\/p>\n
When you give a number in your title, you are telling the people, \u201cThis will be concise and to the point. No extra fluff.\u201d Nothing worse than a rambling writer who endlessly and carelessly continues writing seemingly with no point in sentences that seem like they will never end without punctuation or breaks or rhyme or reason and this is why anyone and everyone needs a ton of concise-ity which is best found in numbered lists.<\/p>\n
Got that?<\/p>\n
It makes the reader assume it will be scan-able. That is, there will be five points I can glance at. If I want to read about those points, I can, but if I don\u2019t, I can move on. I like those choices. Go ahead, try it…oh so scan-able.<\/p>\n
I really only have 4 reasons, so this one\u2019s a filler, but you may now proceed to reason #4.<\/p>\n
Sometimes I find myself writing in the same way I think. That is, my thought process goes something like this:<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a cute dog. I used to own a dog. His name was Reggie. I like to hear Reggie Dabbs speak. He plays the saxophone. I\u2019d like to play the saxophone. When do I play softball again? Maybe I should never play again. I pulled a hamstring the last time I played. Hey, I haven\u2019t had ham in awhile.<\/i> \u201cHONEY, WHAT\u2019S FOR DINNER? CAN WE HAVE HAM?????\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n
When you have specific break points, it\u2019s like holding a treasure map in your hand. You take ten steps east, then 20 paces north, etc. It clearly marks where you\u2019ve been, and where you\u2019re going. This avoids getting lost along the way. Nobody should write the way they think, at least not for public consumption.<\/p>\n
You know when to end. This is the last reason, so my conclusion goes here. It\u2019s the final point\u2014the punch point\u2014the one where I finish everything with a super awesome sentence that sums it all up, punches you in the gut, and leaves you wanting more.<\/p>\n
Any questions?<\/p>\n
(No, not good enough. Try again.)<\/p>\n
Since I only have 5 reasons and not 6, this is THE END.<\/p>\n
(Still horrible, especially since I really only had 4 reasons. One more try.)<\/p>\n
THAT, my friends, is why you use lists.<\/p>\n
(Meh, you win some, you lose some.)<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/address>\nKEEP READING!<\/address>\nHow To Make Your Idea a Reality<\/span><\/a><\/address>\n\u00a0<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As I look through my blog and other blogs, for some reason, the whole list thing seems to be pretty popular. \u201c5 ways to throw your back out in 15 seconds or less,\u201d \u201c19 reasons I don\u2019t care who you vote for,\u201d \u201c8 ways to feed a fish,\u201d \u201c88 reasons Jesus will return in \u201888\u201d<\/p>\n