I’ve only been writing for the Odyssey for the past two weeks and I’ve noticed it is hard to come up with original content every week. Really. But fret not faithful readers! I have a formula for successful articles week after week that are sure to deliver entertaining content. Feel free to use these tips to improve your own writing!

1. Structure: Structure your article as a list. Lists are great! They allow you to skip any of the complexities of a structured argument or story and skip right to the finessed points you have to make. It’s important to remember to keep each element of your list concise so as not to build upon any ideas and keep things simple.

2. Gifs: Let’s be honest, reading is exhausting. Gifs are a handy way of conveying thoughts or emotions to a reader by leveraging some existing pop-culture content. It can be hard to package your opinions in rhetoric or logic. Gifs allow you to explain something by having someone else explain it for you! Gifs are also great because they make the reader feel personally connected. (Haha, I watched Hercules as a kid too!)

3. Punctuation: If you couldn’t tell by now, punctuation is a big part of getting your reader engaged. Prose can be boring and unexciting. Liberal use of exclamation points and question marks make your writing sound on edge like you’re hopped up on amphetamines! Hunter S. Thompson represent! As Hemmingway once said, “Prose is architecture, not interior decoration, and the Baroque is over.” Yawn! What does that even mean?

4. Neutrality: Keep your articles neutral. Popular opinions are that way for a reason, and no one wants to be unpopular. Arguing for points that aren’t widely accepted won’t win you any immediate new favor or readers, so why waste your time on them. Instead, focus on easily accessible topics that are relatable to everyone.

5. Title: Titles are key, as this article’s shows. The most coverage your article will ever get is a headline on a news feed seen by people while they browse Facebook from a toilet. It can be hard to grab attention in this setting. Write your title like you would a cliff hanger, encouraging the reader to click for more. “We Filmed 8 Newborn Puppies and You Won’t Guess What Happens Next” is a personal favorite. *Click!* A page view!? With our advertisers happy, you can now move on with your life -- worry not about the content that follows.

With these tips and a little imagination, you’ll be sure to stand out on social media as an aspiring writer.