One of the most important things in nonfiction writing is keeping the reader glued to the page. This means that you have to make it not only interesting, but also fascinating. If your reader gets bored, they will soon discard your article and move on to something else. One of the best ways to make sure this doesn’t happen is to use anecdotes and short stories. They are the “glue” that keeps them reading.
When should anecdotes and stories be used? A good guide is to look for places where:
– The text is getting boring; in particular, where there are many facts and little else.
– You want to give an example.
– You want to prove an argument.
– You want to present an image.
– You simply want to amuse or distract your reader.
Surely you can think of many other reasons, but the important thing is to use them whenever the opportunity arises. They are appropriate almost anywhere and almost always enhance your article. A good place to put them, in fact, is at the beginning, in other words, in the “main”. An interesting anecdotal clue will draw readers in quickly.
However, it is critical that the anecdote make a point. It has to illustrate something. If you add a story about something that happened to you and it doesn’t relate to what happened before, your reader will get confused and wonder why it’s there.
A good way to think of an anecdote is to think of a proverb that relates to the point you’re trying to make, and then rewrite the proverb into a human interest story. In many cases, the reader will remember the story long after they have forgotten the point he is trying to get across (particularly if he can identify with the person in the story).
Where do you find anecdotes and stories? They are all around you; think about things that have happened to you that are related to the point you are trying to make. If you’re writing about yourself, you should, of course, be honest, but no one is going to complain if you embellish it a bit or give it a slight twist. The important thing is that you make it interesting.
Where do you find anecdotes? Some suggestions are as follows:
– Events that took place at your workplace.
– Stories about your friends. However, be careful; you may have to disguise your identity.
– Something you saw in the newspaper.
– Something someone said to you that made you laugh or think..
– Something that happened to you when you were young.
– Something that happened on TV or in a movie.
– An anecdote about someone famous.
You can think of an interesting anecdote by citing a crazy statistic or fact, and then talk about how you reacted or how you might relate to it.
It’s a good idea to try for an anecdote every two or three pages. If you find that you’ve gone several pages without one, try adding one. The number you can use depends to some extent on the type of article you are writing. Certain types are more manageable than others, but in practice almost any nonfiction article can use some.
