How to make a list enjoyable to read?
I think I'm a Modern Man by George Carlin, is a good example. And, after analyzing it, I've come up with some techniques.
Varying sentence length
I知 a modern man, a man for the millennium. Digital and smoke free. A
diversified multi-cultural, post-modern deconstruction that is
anatomically and ecologically incorrect.
Using opposing ideas
I致e been inputted and outsourced, I know the upside of downsizing, I
know the downside of upgrading. I知 a high-tech low-life.
Using alliteration (or repeating the first word/word unit)
...laid-back but fashion-forward...super-sized, long-lasting...I致e
been pre-wash, pre-cooked, pre-heated, pre-screened, pre-approved,
pre-packaged, post-dated...
Using rhymes
I知 a rude dude, but I知 the real deal. Lean and mean! Cocked, locked
and ready-to-rock. I take it slow, I go with the flow, I ride with the
tide. I致e got glide in my stride. Drivin and movin, sailin and
spinin, jiving and groovin, wailin and winnin...
Am I in the right path? Do you have other suggestions?
(1)1 Comments
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I suggest checking out 'Skippy's List', a modern classic of satire. One of the themes I see in it that's not on your list is repetition. List items will use a similar sentence structure with small variation, and these will be clustered together or spaced apart for greater effect. Using similar structure on items spaced far apart can act as a callback, and gives the list a greater sense of structure.
For example:
Not allowed to let sock puppets take responsibility for any of my actions.
Not allowed to let sock puppets take command of my post.
Another example:
Two drink limit does not mean first and last.
Two drink limit does not mean two kinds of drinks.
Two drink limit does not mean the drinks can be as large as I like.
The twitter account WorstMuse uses the second kind, especially with one or two word tweets. It references repeating, over-used concepts or words, like: "Plucky orphans" or "Tragic lesbians" or "Retrograde amnesia". The snappy style lets the ideas speak for themselves, and the short format is itself a recognizable rhetoric structure.
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