Writer’s Round-About

This article, as the title boldly states, is timeless. It is timeless in the sense that it does not mention any current celebrity, political pundit or late breaking scandal. The content will remain fresh and consumable through Winter, Spring,Summer and Fall. For this reason, the article is exactly half of what a great article should be.

The greatest and most successful content will contain elements that are both timely and timeless. A timely article is like a soda can left open on the counter. It will pop, fizz and delight for a few hours, then become flat and tasteless.

By contrast, a timeless article is a well-sealed bottle of wine. It may sit in the cellar for months or years before catching attention. When it is discovered, time will have had little impact on it, except perhaps to enhance it.

A truly great article combines both elements in a way that defies culinary comparison. It is, for lack of a better analogy, a chameleon. On the date of its publication it will seem to speak directly to the headlines of the moment. In a week, when the topic has been more soundly beaten than the proverbial dead horse, it will appear to be quite another animal.

It will show no signs of having every attempt to be trendy, but will instead appear to be a bit of useful information or sage advice that defies time. It may no longer gather the frenzied interest it briefly knew, but it will continue to reward those who find it – and perhaps entice them to share their find with others.

So how does one go about creating a great article that is both timeless and timely? As you would likely guess, some topics lend themselves more easily to this than others. Articles on personal finance provide an exceptional example of this elusive species.

A financial article can strike this balance with just a few subtle word changes. If your headline reads “Great Investment For The Recession” you have, at best, created a seasonal hit. The recession is likely to pass and lead to another economic season. When recession season comes round again, your article might be taken out of the attic and hung on the tree once more.

Consider instead “Great Investments For Uncertain Times.” When the economy becomes stable and predicable, authors everywhere will be busy penning reports of flying swine and unprecedented precipitation. With the buzzword engine in full tilt, your article could land on the front page. The readers’ mindset will automatically swap “uncertain times” with “recession.” It will do equally well when depression season comes.

Of course, the true story here is the investment that is perfect for every economic season. Discovering that money making secret is left as an exercise for the reader.

In addition to being highly unlikely, the fictional article above is also a very pure example of the breed. It is much easier, and often much more fun, to create a Frankenstein article melded from the timely and the timeless. By leading with the breaking news and then sprinkling in timely details, you can add shelf life to your creation without sacrificing details applicable only to the movement.

This is hardly a new idea. It is used on a daily basis by media companies around the world. However, it is never given a name. We authors have names for all of our other tricks (the “hook,” the “punchline,” etc.). Why not this one? Since “great article” or “the timeless tactic” seems to generic, perhaps the food analogy can help after all. Will this writing technique now and forever be known as “the preservative”? Only time will tell.
 

This Guest Post was provided by David Hamilton, a freelance writer and programmer who spent several years developing software before going independent. His articles cover a wide range of topics and have been published in numerous publications.