Matthew Stibbe, writer-in-chief at Bad Language, argues that the top ten list has become our culture's dominant form of expression. He cleverly supports his thesis with, naturally, a top ten list about how to create top ten lists that includes:
5. A little surprise in the middle, to keep up people’s interest.
and:
10. Always leave them wanting more.
Earlier this week, Matthew shared his top ten tips for concentrating on writing, which he no doubt composed while avoiding doing his day job.
Works for me.
On the other hand, if you're Guy Kawasaki you can break the top-ten rule and use any number of items you wish, as in this thirteen-item list, "The Art of the Layoff." Thirteen does seem to be an appropriate number for such a bad-news topic.
Nancy,
the popularity of the Top Ten list is akin to the preference of many business audiences and self-help book readers to have boundaries around even the ineffable as it if can be captured and categorized - thus the proliferation of "Seven Secrets to... and "Three-Step..." etc.
Visiting your web site and blog at the suggestion of mutual friend, Adrienne Gans has been such a delight I signed up to receive your blog comments.
Perchance you heard the Michael Krasny interview today of Jeff on his new book, think it is Talking right
... another fan
Posted by: Kare Anderson | July 06, 2006 at 06:19 PM
I love that joke of Judy Tenuta's: "My mother said I would never amount to anything because I always procrastinate. I replied 'just wait'".
Actually, the item 'Always leave them wanting something more' was number 9, not number 10 as you suggest. There was no item ten in the ten-point list. At the risk of ruining a joke by explaining it, that was the joke.
Posted by: Matthew Stibbe | July 07, 2006 at 05:00 AM
Got me there, Matthew! I believe this phenomenon is called "inattentional blindness," famously documented in the study called "Gorillas in Our Midst." People intent on watching a basketball game simply didn't see a man in a gorilla suit walk across the court.
Posted by: Nancy Friedman | July 07, 2006 at 07:38 AM