What does it take to…

…write a good/interesting OP?  Some thoughts, FWIW…

Writing OPs reminds me of building a delicious cake from scratch.  You need all the right/quality ingredients to make it a success.

Just like a cake needs flour, eggs, milk, pan, oven, etc., a good OP must have the same building blocks, elements, if it is to be successfully consumed, with pleasure, by your audience.  It really hurts when someone turns away from your cake, especially because you know you didn’t give it your all. ;(


So, that being said, let’s examine some of those OP elements:

-Like first impressions, your title (such as mine above) is your initial foot in the door.  Make the title intriguing, mysterious, leaving the reader wanting more, so s/he is willing to take that all-important second look.  See if you can play on their human curiosity.

-You’re gonna need a plot (the flour); some focal point to the OP.  The best kinds of plots are the ones the reader can relate to.  (Btw, good grammar is kinda important too.  Apologies for that dangling preposition. ;). Anyway, if your OP “doesn’t fit” (intrigue), the reader will probably not “acquit” (i.e., will move on).  Adios mother!

-Now you’re gonna need some spices; this usually comes by way of wit.  Catchy sentences, word play, something to give the reader a chuckle is always a good move.  Someone once quipped, “Laughing is your brain giving  your mouth an orgasm.” See how I spiced that one up? Did that sentence get your attention?? :-Þ

-Really important, it’s got to be readable.  TL;DR have killed many-an-OP; put it out of its lengthy misery.  Many people haven’t got time for that kind of pain.  Besides, often OP reading comes when the boss isn’t looking (like the cat and the mouse, “real ‘mericans play when the boss is away”).  But I suspect we alone have not cornered that sneaky market.  People, worldwide, are people, right??  So if your OP is too long, know that reading it may be calculated against how long the reader's boss will be away from his/her desk.  Rumor has it long reads get reduced down to the taskbar, once the boss’s footsteps are in earshot.  And then, the train of thought you’ve been building up to collapses, just like a collapsed soufflé. :(


-You need to build up to something…. your freakin’ frackin’ point (the frosting on the cake).  I mean, why go to the trouble if it fizzles out at the end?  Think about what you want to achieve with your OP.  What is it you’re after?  Do you want to spark thought?  Get people to second-guess something?  Are you advocating for/against some point?  Are you yourself looking for some kind of enlightenment?

 

Okay, okay… now for the punch line of this OP:

What else does a good OP need to be successful?  Let’s toss around some more suggestions.

Thanks for reading, participating, and recommending. :)

(by PrimalSoup)

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