The power of prediction

Your goal, as a writer? That people read your writing, think about it, and respond with their thoughts. There's something in the human psyche which produces a deep wonder at the merest mention of a prediction. When people see a prediction, it makes them think. Is this guy right? Is there some logic behind this? And more importantly, from a writers point of view, it makes the reader think about the issue at hand. Which, in today's grabage bin of an internet, is a talent not given to many writers.

On 19th Feb 2006, when the Novemeber congressional election races were just mentioned in passing in the news, I read a column by George Will in the Washington post, which focused on the gubernatorial race in Ohio. Read the entire column. You'll understand what I mean.

What do I read on the net? Technical howto's, news and politics. Nothing else. Believe me. The rest of it, I just give a cursory scan. Neither do I read, nor do I remember. It's just so much marketing junk by copy writers. Question is, is your writing junk, or a thought provoking analysis of some issue which is of importance to readers?

The elements of a thought provoking piece of writing are

• A short, but accurate description of the issue at hand.
• A couple of paragraphs, at least, of the merits of your argument, supported by facts.

• The prediction. This is what makes the reader think again, go back to the top and start reading the whole thing again. By the time he reaches the prediction again, he'll be impressed with your writing and thinking, which increases the chance of a response. In short, the prediction is an indirect call for action.
  
  And, if by a miracle, you turn out to be right, well, that's a bonus and the reader is going to remember where he first read about it and he's going to keep coming back for more thoughtful analysis and predictions.