Writing can be perfect. That is a fact. And it’s a well-kept secret.
What do I mean by perfect? Obviously, I’m not talking about words fitting into some sort of pre-designed mathematical formula, or words fitting into someone else’s perception of what they should be. I’m talking about words that come together harmoniously, according to your own internal indicators… like a universal truth so amazing it can only be divine (almost everyone has encountered this at some point, I think).
Obviously, not every action we take in this world brings us this sort of harmony, and in the same way, nor does every word bring us the writing equivalent. But with hard work, a little luck, and some more hard work, selected pieces of your writing can.
I’ll get to the how-to in the next section, but for now, I’ll end with a question: now that you know writing can be perfect, and that your brand is formed partially by your copy… why would you settle for anything less?
Quick technical tip - a small trick you can use to improve a given point, but one that I see very few people utilize. Which is, repeating key phrases while writing a list. For example, writing “We give your employees the tools to be proactive, and to be successful” instead of just writing “We give your employees the tools to be proactive and successful.”
There are many more examples out there, and many other situations where I write it this way. I do it, first, because I like the timing better. It’s often true that less words=better writing, but it’s also often true (as in the example above), that too few words lacks rhythm. Sometimes you need to extend the sentence to make it sound right, and to put emphasis on the right parts.
Which brings me to the second reason - that repeating the key phrase places the right emphasize on each item. In the sentence above, without “to be” repeated again, the second item (successful) loses much of its power. True, the meaning of “successful” is still derived from the words that set up the list, “to be”, but by the time we get to it, we forget what those words were, and the point loses its emphasis. Sometimes, to make your point (or to drive it home), you have to repeat phrases.
Doing so, either partially or as a whole, is often more rhythmic, and more clear. So, even though english teachers would have you write everything in a straight-forward list, you need to check it out. Say it out loud, then make a call; either can be right in a given situation… but don’t be afraid to go with what sounds right to you.
by brianlburns on October 31, 2008
in voice
Most copywriters claim to be able to write anything in any voice; they say that they can ghostwrite for anybody in any piece. There is some validity to it, I guess - good writing is about developing a voice, and it’s important to have some conscious control over it. But I do think that writers taking this approach are missing part of the point. Namely, that each piece of writing, whether it be a blog post, a website page, or even a press release, has a soul and voice of its own.
Yep, it sounds kooky, I’ll admit that. But it’s definitely not a new concept. Any artist, I think, whether it be music, painting, ceramics, screen writing, or even copywriting (GASP!), will tell you the best pieces of art create themselves. That is, that the artists do their best work acting not as much as a creator, but as a conduit, through which the art expresses itself.
I’m not sure if I’d go that far, but the concept still stands: each piece has a voice of its own, and a good part of writing it well is finding that voice, not superimposing a new one. That doesn’t mean, of course, that you should forego the work of your own creative process, put a blindfold on, and just start pounding on the keyboard (I think that’s where a lot of modern art goes wrong). But I think it does mean that while you go through your own writing process, you should view it not as all there is, but as one part of a composition.
You can’t completely control a piece of writing, as much as some people would like to think. Or, that is, you can’t completely control it if you want to produce the best stuff. Sound simple? Good. I’m glad. Best of luck. Sound stupid? Let me know in the comments section.
