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Wordplay

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<strong>Think inside the box</strong> Just a handful of techniques accounted for all of the ideas behind 200 top performing ads, found a team of Israeli researchers. <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/man-empty-notes-on-finger-gm652222042-123961835" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by reklamlar</em></a>

Creative templates outperform thinking outside the box

Templates more effective than brainstorming, free association Can creativity be templated? Think inside the box Just a handful of techniques...
AI/Writing process / Storytelling / Templates / Wordplay / Write Better, Easier, Faster
<strong>Needle in a haystack</strong> Breathe new life into a tired cliche by extending or otherwise playing with it. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/closeup-needle-haystack-isolted-on-white-455618908" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Chones</em></a>

How to play with words in writing

Revive, resurrect or reimagine a cliché Call it a cliché makeover. Needle in a haystack Breathe new life into a...
Storytelling / Wordplay
<strong>In a twist</strong> Twist a list to develop plays with words. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-asian-teenager-exercising-yoga-against-100509436" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by ifong</em></a>

How to play with words

Twist a list to add humor to your message Long ago, on an episode of “The Colbert Report,” Stephen Colbert...
Storytelling / Wordplay
<strong>Play twister</strong> You’re just four steps away from a great twist of phrase. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/childs-hands-on-twister-game-529461466" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by IhorL</em></a>

How to write a pun

Four steps to crafting a twist of phrase Some people are natural-born phrase twisters. The rest of us will likely...
Storytelling / Wordplay
examples-of-puns-in-headlines

Examples of puns in headlines

4 ways to write plays-on-words headlines When edible marijuana consumption spiked, the Omaha World Herald came up with this headline...
Skim, scan, read / Storytelling / Wordplay
Try these techniques — from alliteration to single-syllable words — for creating catchy headlines. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/row-newspapers-179149739" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by qvist</em></a>

Catchy headlines for feature articles

Coin a word, go graphic and more Stuck for a catchy title that will make people read the article? Try...
Skim, scan, read / Storytelling / Wordplay
<strong>Opposites attract readers</strong> Add a new literary device to your toolbelt. Oxymorons — opposing or contradictory words — can have a dramatic effect on your message. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/text-word-clean-written-dirt-filth-581657920" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by Azer Merz</em></a>

Why do we use oxymorons?

Perceptive campaign plays with paradox When Perceptive Software needed to fill 130 positions — more than one-third of its existing...
Storytelling / Wordplay
<strong>Why you haiku?</strong> Haiku poetry cuts through the clutter of competing messages to get the message across. <a href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/summer-traditional-chinese-calligraphy-art-isolated-79194679" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><em>Image by elwynn</em></a>

How to write a haiku

Get the word out in 17 syllables Call it Curbside Haiku. Why you haiku? Haiku poetry cuts through the clutter...
Storytelling / Wordplay
Image by aga7ta

How to find the etymology of a word

Express the spirit of your words by exploring their origins One of the most creative examples of wordplay I’ve ever...
Storytelling / Wordplay
<strong>Alphabet scoop</strong> Acronyms can help people codify and remember your key ideas. <a href="https://www.istockphoto.com/photo/pop-art-font-letter-w-gm907007918-249929516" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em>Image by gorica</em></a>

Help people remember with acronyms

Create a mnemonic First there was FUBAR: F***ed Up Beyond All Recognition. Now, thanks to the Urban Dictionary, we also...
Storytelling / Wordplay
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