Break the Rules
Nothing stands out and gets noticed like a broken rule or violated
expectation. Think about it. Have you ever been nearly hit by a car that
ran a stop sign? How would you react if you saw someone fly? How do you
feel about people who butt in line? Would you notice if someone came to
class naked?
Okay, you can stop thinking about that now. The point is that a broken
rule—or anything that seems out of the ordinary—gets noticed. Doesn’t
you agrees?
Sometimes the effect is negative, sometimes dangerous, sometimes
humorous, sometimes annoying, sometimes it’s merely interesting.
Sometimes you have some point that you really want to get noticed
in your paper. You can take advantage of rules to make them stand
out by breaking them. In other words, don’t break rules for no reason
and don’t break rules if you can’t make it fairly clear that you did it on
purpose. If readers think the broken rule was an accident, then you appear
incompetent or careless.
Examples:
» Longer sentences feel slower and more relaxed. But if you take it
to the long extreme, it comes out like stream-of-consciousness,
sounding fast and perhaps flustered.
» Break actual grammar rules. Use fragments, etc.
» Misspell words to that hint at other meanings.
» Change font size or color.
» Change paragraph alignment.
» Change the format. Write a poem or something unique.
» Use sarcasm (But be careful! Sarcasm rarely works well and usually
reflects poorly on the author) or irony.
» Use an unexpected tone or style.