Giving an Old Topic a New Twist
You think you have an original idea for an article only to find that it has been done many times before. Here are some ways you can give an old topic a new twist and make it uniquely your own.
You have come up with a really great title for an article. You have just spent days if not weeks researching it and writing it only to discover that someone else has published the same article. All your hard work had been in vain, or has it? There are ways you can still publish your article and have it appeal to your reading audience even if several people have written on the same topic.
Here are some ways to make your article work.
A Fresh Point of View
Look over your article. Is there some way you can approach the topic from a fresh viewpoint? Something other writers have not considered? A couple of months ago, I wrote an article about the Lost Roanoke Colony. This story has been told over and over again for centuries. However, the mystery has always fascinated me and I wanted to do an article on this subject. So, I decided to approach the subject from a different point of view.
Instead of writing a article telling the story about the colony, I wrote an article about it being America’s oldest unsolved mystery. I included in the my article all of theories to explain the mystery as well as the latest methods being used to try and discover if some of these theories were correct.
It was an age old story with a new twist!
New information
Many times articles are written on subjects and then months, years, even centuries later new information emerges. Finding new information to add to your article will give it a unique twist and make it stand out. It also updates your article and gives it current relevance.
Interviews and Ancedotes
Sometimes putting in interviews you have conducted or ancedotes of people who have had similar problems or experiences will give your article a more personal view and will increase interest even though the topic is familiar.
The main thing to remember is that with all the articles, books, and news stories that occur daily there is bound to be someone who has written on any subject you choose to write about. What you want to do is make your article stand out by being unique and well written. Do that, and your article will succeed and so will you.
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September 28th, 2009 at 10:58 pm
good points, a new twist makes an old topic new and fresh and interesting.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
I agree with a new twist, it seems to generate interest. TX Well composed with good tips.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Good tips. It’s frustrating to come up with a brilliant idea, only to find that it has been done to death, though admittedly, I usually don’t check to see how many similar articles have been published before I submit my work.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Very good write… very good tips!
September 29th, 2009 at 12:33 am
I write whatever I feel like. I am sure no two persons write alike, and the treatment and content varies w/o special efforts. The point you wrote are always relevant whether or not somebody has written about it already. Whenever you can, you have to make it timely, relevant, interesting and with a refreshing take.
Another point people keep bothering is whether people would read if it has been written about already. Your friends will always read, no matter what. And it’s my guess they read it so fast they forget what they have read even before they go to the next article.
September 29th, 2009 at 2:04 am
I think the different styles in which people write will make an article quite different from one written by someone else, but a new twist will always help. Good tips.
Christine
September 29th, 2009 at 2:38 am
good stuff! I’ll keep those tips in mind. Originality is definitely an important factor in writing.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Excellent tips and liked how you did the Roanoke mystery article.
September 29th, 2009 at 6:28 am
Wow! A great idea. Thanks for posting.