Hello Stemians, Steemits and Steemites. Wow, getting traction on steemit is difficult. You post an article or story, thinking it will appeal to the steemian masses, but it quickly fades into virtual obscurity, getting just a few readers if you're lucky, maybe one upvote, and a penny for your efforts.
Then there are some posts, in the trending section, where within days, some will earn over $100 to their first "introduceyourself" post. Like what the hell? The content is pretty much generic, just an introduction of themselves with an image, and somehow it goes viral.
Then there are those who begs for "upvotes," "followers," or "resteems," which isn't my cup of tea. I, we, have been blogging for years. We produce a variety of content, all trendy and unique, as it's guaranteed to pass "copyscape" every time. We found steemit, as an opportunity to republish some of our content, to capture more readers.
Here is a sample of our writing. In exchange, please share what the dark little secret is, to gain traction on steemit. It's our first week, so maybe, I just set my expectations too high. So here goes nothing...
The Passage To Writing Technical Articles Is Creating A Story
You write down thoughts of ideas into words. If you don’t share it with others, then the entire process feels vacant. There’s solid evidence which proves that how a set of select words compiled into a sentence can inspire, engaging those who reads the passages.
So you toss around ideas of substance. You sculpt the questions to text by performing research, this by doing your due diligence, getting the facts straight. Analyze, digest the results, then craft the storyline. Evolution is transferring information from one mind to another.
Each of these words help in creating and transferring these thoughts, so it can be gifted to others to be comprehended. It comes down to a methodology, a way of influencing ideals, to translate words into motivation.
Get Direct And To The Point
Some writers will waste their time by doing extensive research, thinking that they need to search and review everything that’s ever been discovered about a particular topic of interest, and then present it in the introduction.
The purpose of a compelling introduction however is developing your hypotheses. Begin by stating your case on why point “A” is related to point “B.” Never waste your time or bore the reader by describing every piece of research that’s been written around points A and B.
Instead, state what the purpose of your study is early, this preferably near the end of the first paragraph, and then stay focused and on topic by making a case for your interpretation.
There’s no need to review all of the discoveries and conclusions on what’s been previously written in the past regarding the points.
Yet Tell The Entire Story
What some believe is that skimming the story is better, that being quick and instant is the solution. The fewer words, sentences, citations, the less examples used, the better. That brief and prompt is preferred.
But then ask yourself what’s more important. Skimping on content or providing enough context to the reader, so they’ll understand why they should care.
Nuance Always Rules
What journalists and Twitter wants are simple stories, short and sweet, over and done with. But the world we live in is complicated, so what’s needed is describing its complexity as accurately and detailed as possible.
Usually, positive emotions are healthy, but at times can lead to suboptimal outcomes. Negative emotions are likely bad, but certain situations can lead towards optimal outcomes. So it can be erroneous to generalize.
What’s recommended is learning to serve complexity and then simplifying it, this since what’s needed is to tell both sides of the same story.
Always Use Present Tense
What education instructs is to write in the third person. The reason being, supposedly, that’s what the scientists and the technology writers recommend.
The thinking being that a secondary voice makes the scientific or technical findings appear more objective. Doing so makes the writer’s intelligence appear more rational.
As a result, this is what they’ll teach in creative writing class. It’s thought that doing so needs to be reconsidered however. Instead, connect to the reader first, then provide the technical information second, this by writing in the present tense.
If you’re writing about your adventures, then insert yourself into the story, although most technical writers will disagree.
If a reviewer hasn’t mastered their writing, then they’ll usually write based of their knowledge of the content. Technical writing should instead provide a compelling story.
The Use Of Adjectives And Adverbs
Precise is better, which becomes vitally important when it comes to all forms of communication. This whether when arguing with someone, giving a speech to a massive audience, or when writing a book.
What you also need is to use the appropriate language, this to preserve the storyline narrative, to connect to the human psyche and behavior, as not all points are equal. Using adjectives and adverbs helps in stringing the reader along.
Know The Intelligence Of The Reader
What readers pay attention to are the keywords, while not likely to recount the entire substance of the article.
If you’re wanting to captivate the readers attention, then tell a coherent concise interesting story. Be focused, low key, use a variety of trigger words and never shout.
Let Them Know What’s Novel Or Important
Never assume that the reader knows the significance of your discovery, this before and beyond what you’ve written in the past, this especially if it’s on a similar topic, as they’re not as invested in it as you are.
How is what you’ve just written on a topic different from what you’ve written in the past. Give concise explanations, answers, results, with explicit references to the prior work if necessary.
Be Bold Yet Vulnerable
Some technical writers are just terrified of publishing or marketing their writing. They’re afraid of promoting their knowledge or discoveries. They chastise others who writes technical papers to connect with the general audience.
They despise social media as a medium for sharing technical or scientific insights, which requires meaningful dialogue with those who’s not in their peer group.
What they would rather do instead is write journal articles, cite their previous work, speak at seminars directly to their associates.
They’ll heavily promote themselves in their inner circles, trumpeting why they deserve praise, more funding, or a bigger salary or office.
The Write To Promote
To sell and promote oneself is human. Never forget that the most brilliant are first and foremost a human with emotions, who hurts, cries, experiences self-doubt and esteem.
What they need is to be pampered and recognized, adored just like everybody else. Embrace that this is your life scripted to theirs, and do so in your writing.