Did this ill-fated, nightmare-haunted boozehound create the ideal strategy for crafting content — way back in 1846?
Boozer AND loser?
Perhaps.
Yes, he did die at age 40. And yes, that happened shortly after turning up in a drunken stupor in an alley near a Baltimore, Maryland, tavern.
Yet during his poverty-stricken, alcohol-addicted life — 1809–1849 — Edgar Allan Poe was the most talked-about man of letters in the United States.(1)
But did you know…
…the acclaimed poet, journalist, and short-story writer also created a work in 1846 that can help today’s content writers produce material more efficiently and effectively?
Poe wrote “The Philosophy of Composition” to show his method of constructing literature. In fact, he tells us in this essay, that he used it to devise his darkly fanciful, ever-popular poem “The Raven.”
But before we review how his suggestions — in total or in part — can strengthen your writing today, let’s look at what other creative greats thought of him.
Legendary Film Director Alfred Hitchcock said in an interview published in 1960:
“It’s because I liked Edgar Allan Poe’s stories so much that I began to make suspense films.”
William Friedken, director of the 1973 horror classic “The Exorcist” noted:
“Edgar Allan Poe is considered the greatest writer of horror stories, perhaps the greatest — I will say the greatest.”
And William Carlos William, a major late 19th-century poet, wrote in 1925:
“In him (Poe) American literature is anchored, in him alone, on solid ground.”(2)
So with that high praise in mind, let’s look at eight literary guidelines from Poe — some with tweaks — that you can use now to create content.
“Thrilled me — filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;….” The Raven
Decide on your close before starting to write
Here’s why, Poe wrote:
“Nothing is more clear than that every plot, worth the name, must be elaborated to its denouement (end) before anything be attempted with the pen.”
He explained that only with your closing paragraphs in mind, can you give your material “…its indispensable air of consequence or causation….”
Fine advice for several reasons —
· With your ending in sight, you can work backward to fully support it.
· And, you can build on it as you write. For instance, I did that with this article. If I hadn’t, I might have had to settle for a lame finale such as: “You’ll be ‘raven’ about this method….”
· Also, this helps ensure that your piece moves “… step by step, to its completion, with the precision and rigid consequence of a mathematical problem,” Poe noted.
“And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.”
Limit the reading length to one-sitting
The intense competition for your reader’s time — online and off — makes this advice even more apt.
“If any literary work is too long to be read at one sitting…,” unity of impression is lost. “If two sittings would be required, the affairs of the world interfere, and everything like totality is at once destroyed,” Poe explained. A bit later in the essay though, he does say there are exceptions.
Without doubt, this concept is still valid.
But there’s one problem:
How do you define “one sitting?”
That of course depends on your audience — are they busy executives, hustling freelancers, or stay-at-homes who take care of the house and kids?
Of course, you don’t want to assume anything. So here’s some data to keep in mind when trying to figure out how long your target’s “one-sitting” time might be. (FYI — Googling “one-sitting” doesn’t help).
· Traditional news articles range from 500 to 800 words(3)
· In-depth, analytical features of 1,200 to 1,500 words are now big online(3,4)
· Average reading time hovers between 180 to 250 word per minutes(5,6)
This info means much of today’s long-form articles can easily get read in less than 10 minutes.
“Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore;….”
Choose the impression you want to make
Let’s have Poe handle the first part of this step.
In a later article, he observed: “…in almost all classes of composition, the unity of effect or impression is a point of the greatest importance.”(7)
And from the essay, “…throughout the construction, I kept steadily (this) in view…,” because otherwise, “…I should be carried too far out of my immediate topic….”
This single effect also aids your reader to maintain that one-sitting focus.
Now here’s how to apply this to your content marketing articles.
First decide your goal — to assist, connect, interact, educate, or convert. Then take Wendy Montes De Oca’s advice and tap into one of your reader’s emotional hot buttons. The most effective are fear, anger, greed, guilt, exclusivity, salvation, and vanity, the content marketing guru notes.(8)
And yes, this is similar to master copywriter Mark M. Ford’s “Rule of One” — using one emotionally compelling idea for each piece of writing.(9)
“And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,….”
Select the appropriate tone
Identifying the tone of “The Raven” is easy; it reeks of sadness, gloom, and depression.
In fact, Poe sets the proper tone in his first sentence: “Once upon a midnight dreary, as I pondered weak and weary….”
And finding this right tone of voice for your content is critical, because…
….not matching the style of your prospect can hurt results.
Here’s a simple suggestion on how to find that ideal tone from copywriter extraordinaire Amy Harrison.
“Imagine how you would talk to that person face-to-face.”(10)
Failure to do this could cause your piece to fall short of your marketing goals, she adds.
Also keep in mind, throughout your professional work you’ll find the need to use different tones of voice.
Copywriter Neville Medhora notes that you have many at your disposal.
Here are his main ones:
· The “Super Vulnerable”
· The formal B2B company
· The “Write-Like-You-Act”
· The “Informative-Yet-Kinda-Funny”
· The industry-specific “Just Steal It”(11)
Get your tone right and people will want to read…and interact…with your content, Medhora preaches. Plus, he adds, nail the right tone and you’ll enjoy writing more.(11)
“To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;….”
Pick the theme
“The Raven’s” theme is straightforward: A lover laments his dead mistress while a “ghastly, grim” raven continually croaks “Nevermore.”
And finding your guiding theme is so vital…
…that writing coach Jack Hart defines it as, “The mission that lives at the core of every thoughtful bit of writing.”(12)
Hash out your theme early, and decision-making about your work will be much easier, he urges.(13)
Distressed about discovering themes for your content? Not necessary…they may be right in front of you.
Hart advises: “Non-fiction writers must find their themes in their material.”(13)
Also, a bonanza of themes await you in storytelling archetypes, notes author and freelance writer Naveed Saleh.
These include:
The voyage (Homer’s Odyssey)
The underdog (David and Goliath)
The resurrection (Jesus Christ)
The fall from grace (Milton’s Paradise Lost)
The dualism of good and evil (God vs. Satan)(14)
(FYI — “The Raven” follows the archetype “love and loss.”)
“Vainly I had sought to borrow…surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore.”
Use a character to carry the story
Your main character drives your story, which powers your content.
But heed this: unnecessary character details are distracting, and — no matter how fascinating — fodder for deletion, Hart contends.(13)
In Poe’s most-popular poem, our fearful but steadily emboldened narrator propels the unfolding story.
In your writing, ask these questions to develop your content’s central character(s):
· What is their sense of self?
· How do they overcome stubborn obstacles?
· How do they deal with failure or not attaining unreachable ideals?(13)
Also, useful details will help you sketch out characters. This info, drawn from memorized lists of traits, will help you expand the image of your character into a more complete picture.(12)
A change of attitude also helps.
Note how our poem’s narrator goes from “Wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;….” to “‘Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend,’ I shrieked,….”
Create a climax
All questions, all crises are resolved in your content’s climax.(13)
Our poem’s climax is placed in the third stanza from the end.
So “I might the better…settle the rhythm, the meter, and the length and general arrangement of…the preceding queries…” and “… the subsequent composition,” said Poe.
Heavily paraphrased yes.
But the gist of Poe’s aim with his climax — designed earlier in the planning process (see tip 1) — is to help set the stage for what comes before and after.
“Tell this soul with sorrow laden if…it shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore — “
Settle on the setting
Poe saves how he chooses his setting and why it’s important until last.
Perhaps he wanted to emphasize that it wasn’t a minor detail — but essential to the overall success of any piece of literature.
To quote his essay:
A study of “Space is absolutely necessary to the effect of the insulated incident — it has the force of a frame to a picture.”
Especially vital are scenic details that can give your writing more dimension, Hart, our writing coach, adds.
“By evoking a particular time and place, they take readers on the road or into a time machine or both.”
And while the use of space, contrast, and atmosphere are all critical, vivid details are the most vital part of making your content’s locales real, he notes.(13)
“And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;….”
No promises, but…
So will taking Edgar’s advice make you the most talked-about writer in America today?
Can’t guarantee that.
But if you use some or all of his literary wisdom you are guaranteed a successful strategy for crafting content.
How do I know?
A little blackbird told me…
References:
1. The Fall of The House of Usher AND OTHER TALES, Signet Classic, 1980
2. http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poebtsp2.htm
3. http://blog.newswhip.com/index.php/2013/12/article-length#SbcvvgJYe34c3zjW.97
4. http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/03/31/how-long-should-each-blog-post-be-a-data-driven-answer
5. http://www.edgestudio.com/production/words-to-time-calculator
6. https://atkinsbookshelf.wordpress.com/tag/what-is-the-average-reading-speed/
7. Adventures in American Literature, HBJ Inc., 1973
8. Wendy Montes De Oca, MBA, Content IS Cash, 2012
9. Mark Ford & Will Newman, Persuasion The Subtle Art of Getting What You Want, 2014
10. harrisonamy.com/content-marketing-tone-of-voice
11. Neville Medhora, Tone of Voice in Copywriting & Your Brand (W/Examples)
12. Jack Hart, A Writer’s Coach, 2006
13. Jack HaHart, Storycraft, 2011
14. Naveed Saleh, The Complete Guide to Article Writing, 2013
Dale L. Sims is a stealth sales strategist based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Also, from May 2010 to Jan. 2014, he served as marketing coordinator and health consultant for Healthy Design, a supplement and fitness product distributor in Cadillac, Michigan.
Plus, he is a former reporter, editor, and radio advertising salesman.
