Category — great writing

political fervor has struck America. it’s time for our once-every-four-year presidential campaign. it’s an exciting, and also often overwhelming time: parades, conventions, signs, speeches, donations, critics, pundits, idiots, yahoos, and on a good day, just maybe, a well-thought out and intelligent discourse on American society.

in an effort to find some sense amid the chaos, or maybe just to add to the noise, I thought I’d write a political post or two. but since this is a blog with a subject, writing, I figured I’d stick to it. what follows is a two-part post about what we can learn about good (copy)writing from the campaign, and the candidates. I’ll start here with Obama, and sometime soon, get to McCain.

and in starting with Obama, I’ll start at the only logical point: his oratory. it’s good. astoundingly good. the best I’ve ever seen live. no matter the outcome of this race, I believe 4th grade social studies classes will be listening to Obama just as they listen to Martin Luther King, jr. now. his delivery is impeccable. his timing is right on. his nature fits the message, and the message fits. his speeches are well-written, and they’re well delivered. for anyone who disputes my point that delivery, timing, and rhythm are crucial to good copy (and good speeches) has to look no further than Obama.

and in a secondary, related way, we ought to learn about magic from Obama. his speeches are as good as they are not because of the beginning or the middle - where he communicates what he needs to communicate. they’re special because the end - where he communicates the magnitude of his message. where he transcends politics, and speaks to the human (and even the divine) spirit. where he inspires and energzes, like seldom before him have. they’re special because he believes his words can become magic. from a previous post, as a reminder about good, even great writing, here’s a quote from Stephen King: “we are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style… but as we move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.”

King is a good teacher, and Obama is a good reminder: writing should be simple. it should be to the point, and it should be effective. but do that well - get your message across - and you might have some room for magic. you might be able to do more than sell, or more than get elected. you may be able to inspire.

I look up to Stephen King, as a writer at least. I don’t love his stuff (I’m not much into horror stories or thrillers), and tell you the truth, I haven’t read many of his books. But without a doubt, he’s a top professional, and he’s wicked good at what he does. Best of all, he’d know exactly what I just said – ‘wicked good’ is just part of the vocabulary of a rough man grown up in Maine… working in a carpenters family, and doing night-shift at the mill (at least before his popular success). He doesn’t waste words, and he doesn’t dance around any points. He just writes good stories and good books.

One of them, my favorite, is On Writing, his own how-to book for aspiring novelists. It’s a great read, and really, has been integral in the formation of my own writing (as much as a single book or teacher can be). In it, he analogizes writing to a toolbox. You work to develop specific skills (vocabulary, grammar, dialogue), and as you get them, you put them in your writing toolbox. Then, you lug it around with you, and use the proper tools in their proper place to get the job done.

I like the analogy. First, because it works. And second, because it underlines the point: writing is not about genius inspiration. It’s about building stuff - about communicating ideas and stories as simply as possible. It’s more a carpenters job than it is a divine right. I think that’s cool. Keep in mind that King is talking fiction, but it works for startup copy too. And I talk about it here – I say that EVERYBODY’S a writer… it just takes a straight-forward approach, a little work, and of course, a couple lessons from the farm.

But lest the bigger picture get lost here. Copy may be about just doing it (and doing it simply); working hard until you have the right company or personal brand. Hell, I think that’s most of it. But it’s also more. It is, in some (if not many) cases, the lifeline of your brand. It can be really bad (and believe me, it can), but it also can be GREAT. I’ll let King explain - he writes, after the toolbox analogy (and before he goes ahead), that: “We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style… but as we move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.”

We’re talking about working-class copy. About getting your point across, and getting it across well. But we’re also talking about magic. About the written word becoming more than the the letters, sentences, and paragraphs combined. About it tapping into pieces of universal truth that inspire, frighten, or delight the reader. For fear of sounding whimsical (it’s copy here… not the next Gatsby!), I think that’s true.

What if it is true? Then you’d be better off keeping magic in the back of your head. Don’t get off track - don’t go looking for the creative fairy to bless your every word (she won’t come on command anyway). Keep your head down, and work hard to create good copy and a good brand. Do it right, and every once and awhile, you may just get a visit.

Good copy gets ideas across. It’s as simple as that… you write to communicate ideas, and people read to consume them. I think novelists get that, I think poets get that, but I think a lot of copywriters miss it. I think they get so caught up in creating ’stuff that sells’ - so caught up in ‘relating to the customer,’ and creating ‘urgency to buy’, that they miss the point. They work so hard to convince you that you NEED something, they forget to tell you what it is. That’s dumb.

It’s dumb, especially in the startup world. Startup copy is ALL about the ideas. That’s because most startups (at least in new tech) are developing a new one. You’re not peddling blenders here… you’re selling a new way for people to relate and interact around RSS feeds (for example). Really, that’s what makes new tech so cool, and if you do it right, that’s what gives your copy (and your brand) life. But it also means you have to explain the ideas, and it means you have to explain them well.

Of course, this isn’t easy (and that’s why I have a job). It’s not easy to explain ideas well, and if you do, it’s not easy to explain ideas well in context… with the proper flow and the appropriate snark. That’s why I think the guys over at Ignighter and I did a good job with their landing page copy. I think we communicated the idea - that they’re a new company offering a new idea (of group dating), and I think we got across what it was without being too wordy, and while still being casual (and a bit snarky). Check it out to see what I mean.

The ideas come first… that’s the important part. That’s the straight-forward part too… anyone can do it. After that, it’s a matter of making it sound right, and work right. Do that, and you’ll have good idea-based copy.

Do that, and you’ll be in business.