Here is a list of the most popular articles from Poewar.com over the past year along with the number of page views they have received. I’ve added a few thoughts on why I think they were successful. Get on the bandwagon and take a look!
How to Write a Query Letter – 60,334 Page Views
This is a fairly exhaustive article with plenty of tips and a sample letter. It offers good advice that many writers need. It has been a top performer for years.
Poetry Writing Tips — 48,344 Page View
This was my first big hit on the Internet. It’s been generating traffic since 1993, and you can tell it’s good because poetry.com stole most of their tips from it.
Want to Write a Novel Badly? Here’s How! — 41,544 Page Views
I love giving people good advice that looks like bad advice. The sad thing is that writing a bad novel is almost as hard as writing a good one.
10 Ways to Make Editors Hate You Before They Even Know You — 36,232 Page Views
I am detecting a trend here. Once again, bad advice draws in the crowds. I need to write more of these. People make a lot of mistakes when they send queries, and this article basically reverses everything I said in my number one article.
7 Easy Steps to a More Pretentious Poem — 33,917 Page Views
Once again, I try to disguise good advice as bad advice, and the people seem to love it. I think the photo is what really sells it though.
Get Rid of Ugly Wordiness: How to Cut Your Novel Down to Size — 28,860 Page Views
Lillie Ammann wrote this hit article during the month when I was out “resting”. The StumbleUpon readers love it. A well edited story is a thing of beauty.
What is a Stanza? — 17,523 Page Views
This is just a straightforward definition of a stanza. I wrote it because people kept asking me, and no one else seemed to have written about it. Sometimes you just need to answer a question.
Glossary of Writing Careers — 16,558 Page Views
This is another straightforward article that gave out information I couldn’t seem to find elsewhere. A lot of schools link to this one.
Poetry in Forms Series: Cinquain — 12,090 Page Views
This is a simple guide to writing cinquain poetry. It is also popular with schools. For about three years, this was the most popular article on my site. When I converted to a blog though, I had to change the URL and I lost some key links. It still does well, but it isn’t the superstar it used to be.
Fifteen Craft Exercises for Writers — 10,959 Page Views
People like to practice their craft and this list of writing exercises has been a steady performer since the nineties. I hope it has helped people.
