It’s time I confessed to certain activities in a chapter of my career as a journalist.

From 2002 to 2004, I wrote news stories that were completely made up.

Fake. Fraudulent.

And I’m glad I did.

You see, I was a writer for The Weekly World News – the original “fake news” newspaper – and believe it or not, I learned some of the most valuable lessons of my career at this trashy tabloid.

All the News That’s Fit to Fake

The internet is filled with satirical news sites, from masters like The Onion to clumsy imitators too numerous to name. Before them all was The Weekly World News.

A sister to The National Enquirer in the American Media collection of low-rent rags, WWN was packed cover to cover with eye-popping, mouth-gaping tales. I was privileged to be part of it.

We broke news about Elvis sightings, Bigfoot reports and countless weird and wacky phenomena like the alien who endorsed Bill Clinton for president in 1992 and the horrifying hybrid creature known as Bat Boy.

It was all so over-the-top ridiculous, no thinking person could take our fabulous fakes as anything but entertainment.

Working at WWN made me a better writer. Here's how:

3 Amazing But True Tabloid Lessons

1. Tell the truth

I know that sounds odd after I just told you that we made everything up, but the truth isn’t just about facts. Most of our stories contained at least a grain of truth.

Sure – I made up the couples I “quoted” in “The Secret to a Happy Marriage? Living Apart!” But who hasn’t felt their marriage would be perfect if only they lived without the stress and boredom of daily contact?

OK – There was no university study (not even a university) finding that “Working with Idiots Can Kill You!” But haven’t you ever felt your blood pressure rising at some monumental mistake by the dolt in the next cubicle?

Truth should always be the goal of any story you write. Be factual, of course, but make sure the facts reveal some truth. What’s going on in the hearts and minds of the people you introduce us to? What did they learn – what can they teach the reader? What have they taught you?

2. Stop boring everyone

These days, we talk about “engaging the reader,” which is a self-important way of saying, "Don't make your writing such a chore to read."

Get to the point. Write short. Write snappy. Say it straight out. “Those dopes can kill you!” I wrote in my “Working with Idiots” feature.

Write with energy. Have fun with your words. I had some with the Easter Bunny: “A hare-brained mother has announced plans to sue the City of New York for $1 million -- charging that her 6-year-old daughter was attacked by the Easter Bunny while romping in Central Park!”

(You may have noticed that I regularly broke my own rule against exclamation points. They made me do it!)

Use your imagination and liven up tired old topics. Does the world need any more dating advice or job-interview tips? No. How about both at the same time? I had a blast writing “Treat Your First Date Like a Job Interview.” It would have been even better if I had turned it around: “Treat Your Job Interview Like a First Date.”

3. Start with a bang

Nothing kicks things off like an attention-grabbing headline. No one will ever surpass the New York Post's legendary "Headless Body Found in Topless Bar," but these aren't bad:

• “Surgeons cut off my head – and sewed it back on!”

• “I died and spent 20 minutes in hell!"

• “Amazing man has lived 16 times”

You can’t NOT read what comes after these headlines.

You Can Quote Me On This, Sweetheart

You’re not likely to be writing about your own reincarnation, but the point remains:

Grab the reader at the start. And don’t let go.