Writer Support: The Allure of writing a Listicle

He's writing another listicle. Stop Him!

It's too late, the listicle is already self-sustaining. (Otto Octavius, 2003… probably). List articles are seen by some as the marmite of the writing world. On one hand people find them shallow, clickbait forms of writing that don't offer any real substance to the topic at hand. On the flip side to that list articles aren't deep dive forms of writing, rather bitesize and accessible pieces of writing readers can leisurely enjoy.

The best way to view list articles is a bitesize read for an audience stuck for time or wanting to have a quick engaging run through about a topic that's caught their eye. For that same reason they can be a great outlet for writers too. Have a think about any topic you're passionate about, it could be anything; the best books released in 2023, top 10 quotes from movies, it's limitless. But for the sake of helping you write these subjects should be personal to you, because of this writing about those topics will come a lot easier.

Plus the added benefit of the list article is that you've got small achievable targets, aiming for a paragraph or two on each point. You don't need to dive deep or spew endless research, but just provide enough surface level information that should fall naturally to you and have the words flowing from your finger tips. Who knows maybe once you start writing about a topic you'll find yourself inspired and want to write more, with the list acting as a spring board for you to take a deeper dive into a point you just don't want to stop talking about.

List articles are essentially what you make them. Sure you have the classic Buzzfeed type headline like 'Top 10 star wars moments, you won't believe number seven' (Yes, I can believe it). They are clickbait and want to get the views without offering much other than a single point. Still they can be fast fun for odd readers.

But there are also list articles that will focus on topics you find interesting and go into a good amount of information backing the points, ultimately being a brief yet enjoyable read as people commute to work or scroll through on a ten minute break.

Not every piece of writing needs to be heavy, sometimes light a fluffy can be just fine. Sometimes those heavy writing tasks or looming novels can feel too overwhelming to deal with, on occasions even put you off writing altogether. In those cases short and fun writing like this can help get back that writing mojo, and keep your words flowing. You don't have to do it forever, but you may enjoy it and you may find it a nice break to sit back and just write about something you're passionate about. It certainly won't be for everyone, but if you don't try you won't know.