Why I Didn't Read Your Story

Vocal is home to thousands of talented writers, and I've come across some phenomenal stories in my four months on this site.

Unfortunately, some pieces are doomed to my won't-read pile from the start. While my standards of discernment are just personal preferences, I think they offer generally good rules of thumb for writers.

Here are the top five reasons I don't click on or finish a story:

1. The Title

This is probably the number one reason I don't open a story.

I don't really care if a title is clever or grabs my attention. A good title is always an additional incentive to give something a read, but it's not necessary. What I notice is how it's capitalized.

Take my first article about Meghan Markle, for example, titled "The Simple Truth About Meghan Markle."

As a reader, I would be discouraged from clicking on this story if the title was like this: "The simple truth about Meghan Markle."

There are different styles, and "The Simple Truth about Meghan Markle" could also be accurate. Personally, I prefer the New York Times style over MLA or APA for Vocal.

But style choice is less important than if it's done at all. When the first letter of a title is capitalized and the rest is all lowercase, it comes across as sloppy and unprofessional. It doesn't bode well for the article itself if the title isn't properly formatted.

When I'm not sure how a title should be capitalized, I use this website.

2. Paragraph Length

If I open a story and see a behemoth of a paragraph, there's a good chance that I won't read very far. Shorter, more concise paragraphs look nicer and make for a smoother, more enjoyable read.

This is one of the things that bothers me most about my earlier pieces (including the one above); I can be a bit wordy sometimes, and my first few articles on this site were full of paragraphs that dragged on just a little too long. It makes a story feel like more of a chore to get through.

Keep it short and sweet, and you're much more likely to hold readers' attention.

3. Spelling and Grammar

Typos are an unavoidable part of writer life.

Just as I hope that my readers will cut me some slack for my own errors, I don't judge the occasional mistake. But incessant run-on sentences, their/they're/there-type errors, and repeat spelling inaccuracies are major turn-offs. If there are numerous errors in the first couple paragraphs of a story, I probably won't read much further.

This is still my biggest pet peeve when it comes to some Top Stories and Challenge-winning pieces, which I wrote about in this article:

4. Clarity and Flow

If I get too far into a story without a clear understanding of what it's about, I may lose interest.

Over the course of the writing process, we become increasingly familiar with our work; as a result, we may make assumptions about what the reader knows or forget to add critical details they need to fully comprehend the points we're trying to make.

Before submitting, go back and try to read your draft from the perspective of someone seeing it for the first time. Is there a structure to your story? Does it make sense, piece together well, and flow naturally? Make sure that your points are clear and organized.

5. Redundancy

This is the slightly modified first sentence of a story I found on Vocal:

There are several types of food brands that offer several vegan products to customers.

A couple points here. This sentence:

1. States the obvious, and
2. Uses the word "several" twice.

This introduction doesn't grab me. You want that first paragraph to stand out, so try to avoid telling us what we already know. Simple can be effective, but if I open a story that starts with "It may surprise you to learn that I enjoy writing," I'm probably hitting the back button.

Diversify your vocabulary. Watch out for repetition within a sentence or paragraph. Google synonyms, eliminate words that aren't really necessary, and get creative with your adjectives and adverbs.

Thanks for reading! I hope these tips will help you attract more readers and rack up more views. I look forward to reading your stories!

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