Guide to a Good Rambling

Ralph van den Berg (11 June, 2008) Posted by:(11 June, 2008)

I thought this might be an interesting topic, now that Ramblings and comments are worth points. Writing a good Rambling is not that difficult. All you really need is a topic, and then just type away. There are a few pointers I can give you that will hopefully get more people to read them. After all, the reason for the Ramblings is to entertain / enlighten / educate / upset / please / annoy / tickle the minds of the readers.



First of all you should have an attractive title. The title is usually the only thing the audience sees before they actually get to reading the Rambling. Make it short, provocative, and interesting enough to encourage people to keep reading. Long lengthy titles can make people bored. Keep it concise and to the point, so that the reader knows to an extent what to expect. Better titles can be a bit mysterious, to make readers curious as to what the actual Rambling contains.



The next step is to make your opening paragraph a bit catchy. If your title is good enough to get people to start reading, you don't want to scare them off with a lame beginning. It's a good idea to summarize some of the key points, or to elaborate on your mysterious title, to keep the reader curious about what's to come. Keep in mind that the first bit of your Rambling (roughly the first 350 characters) is often used as a preview. On the main Ramblings page, for example, you'll notice that.



For the rest of your Rambling, try to keep the reader interested. There is always the chance that you'll bore the hell out of them, and they'll just give up and they will never see the end of your Rambling. You can structure a sort of build up to a conclusion, which keeps the "punch line" at the end. You almost have to metaphorically hold out a carrot on a stick to lead the reader all the way through your Rambling. Keep the carrot close enough for them to keep motivated, but not too close that they'll eat it. Then you won't have anything to lead them on anymore. Also try not to hold it too far away; that's when the reader will give up. It helps to break up your Rambling into paragraphs with breaks in between. This gives the reader some room to breathe and the Rambling doesn't look so threatening as a humongous block of text.



The closing of your Rambling should try to get some involvement from the readers in the form of comments. You can pose questions, or ask for opinions about particular thoughts you've presented. For instance, I will now ask you (the reader) if you have more tips about posting good Ramblings, because I'm sure you know some. Comments and suggestions are always welcome. Have a nice day!



Comment by Ralph van den Berg

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