When you send story ideas or book proposals, you don’t want to drown in the slush pile. New research reveals one way to get people to remember your writing - and it’s a tried-and-true literary technique. 

First, though, a quip for writers: 

“Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.” - C.S. Lewis. Click on the book cover for information about two literary giants: CS Lewis and Tolkien.

Fellow scribes, don’t worry about being original. Focus on being authentic. 

Okay, on to the new research about making readers remember your writing. 

How to Make Editors, Publishers, & Readers Remember You

Alliteration doesn’t just make your writing fun to read - it can make your writing easier to remember. Why is this important? Yikes, where do I start?! 

If editors, publishers, and readers don’t remember your book titles, subtitles, and ledes, then they won’t give you writing assignments, publish your books, or become a fan of your writing. The more you stand out - and not in the article-query-on-purple-paper “Look at me! Look at me!” way - the more successful you’ll be as a freelance writer. 

How Alliteration Improves People’s Memory

In one recent study, participants read works of poetry and prose with alliterative sentences to show the importance of repetitive consonants on memory (this was conducted by researchers R. Brooke Lea of Macalester College, David N. Rapp of Northwestern University, Andrew Elfenbein and Russell Swinburne Romine of University of Minnesota and Aaron D. Mitchel of the Pennsylvania State University and published in July 2008). 

The result? Alliteration improves memory. 

Past research has shown that alliteration improves memory more than imagery or meaning. So, whether you’re memorizing writing tips or your grocery list, make sure you incorporate a lot of alliteration. Alliteration may retrieve similar sounding words and phrases from a person’s memory, which makes it a useful tool for memorization and poetry comprehension. 

Alliteration in Article Titles

If you’re lucky enough to have a name like Peter Parker or Walt Whitman, your chances of being a successful writer may increase because you may be more likely to be remembered. But, if you’re unlucky enough to be saddled with a name like Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen (no alliteration), you may want to start thinking about using alliteration in your article and book titles. 

The first article I ever sold was to alive magazine; it was called “The Upside of Ulcerative Colitis.” Is it a coincidence that the title contained alliteration? Maybe. But, one of the most popular types of article is the “Top Ten” lists - another example of alliteration in action. 

Something to think about, fellow scribes. 

Bonus information:

Every week, Missy Frye over at The Incurable Disease of Writing rounds up a writing carnival. This week’s edition can be found here: Just Write Blog Carnival August 1, 2008 - and it offers encouragement for writers, freelance writing tips, information on the writing life, and various writing tips. 

Source of the alliteration research information:

“The Power of Peter Piper: How Alliteration Enhances Poetry, Prose, and Memory.” ScienceDaily. July 31, 2008.