Article for Copywriters: Thinking Well

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October 2002
Issue # 16

In this issue:

>> Intro: Great Feedback on The 'Technology' Question
>> Article: On Thinking Well
>> Readers Write Back: On Writing Quickly
>> Survey: The time You Spend on Different Stages of Writing

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Greetings,

In the last issue I asked a question about the impact of technology on the quality of our writing. Did we write better when we had to write slowly with a pen and paper, or clunky typewriter? Has the ease of writing with word processing software made us lazy, and reduced the quality of our copy?

Here is the question I asked:

"Has writing 'faster' on a monitor reduced the quality of our copy? Yes? No? Makes no difference?"

And here is the breakdown of your responses

Yes - 54%

No - 36%

Makes no difference - 10%

In addition to the raw figures, I also received a large number of comments, for which I thank you. It's great to get that quantity and quality of feedback.

Although there were many deserving comments, I've chosen Maggie Bell's feedback for this issue's 'Readers Write Back' section.

As for this issue's survey, it's a tough question, but I think the results might be revealing. It would be interesting to know how much time you spend on the various stages of writing. How much time do you spend gathering the information together? Pondering the brief? Asking questions? How much time do you spend on actually writing the first draft? And how much time do you then spend on writing second and third drafts, editing etc?

Until next time,

Nick

>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com

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ARTICLE: ON THINKING WELL

It's not enough to write well. You also need to think well.

The clarity of your copy mirrors the clarity of the thinking you put into it.

All too often, we read the brief, do a little of our own research, get a quick picture in our minds of what we need to say, and start writing.

It's a little like painting by numbers. The brief provides the outlines and the color codes. We just have to do a good job of filling everything in.

But we can do more than that.

Look beyond the brief, sit back and take some time to think clearly about the audience, the purpose of the copy and how best to express your message.

Remember, if you just follow the brief alone, you are limiting the quality and clarity of your copy.

Don't start writing too quickly. Step back, take your eyes off the trees and consider the forest.

Yes, include the elements within the brief. But think of a more elegant way of expressing it. Find a way of expressing the message that simply and irresistibly connects with the reader at a personal level.

Once you have achieved clarity in your thinking, then it is time to sit down and write that first draft. And then rewrite it. And again.

>> To browse the many articles on my site, go to... http://www.nickusborne.com/articles.htm

>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com

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READERS WRITE BACK: ON WRITING QUICKLY

Couldn't resist this one Nick (and writing it quickly). While I find that my own writing quality works better on computer than with pen and paper, simply because I've grown accustomed to working this way, I do tend to agree with the great writer Julian Barnes. Producing something with your computer makes it look too professional too quickly. I can knock up a great set up book covers, professional TOC and index before I even start my book. By the time I've begun the difficult composition process, I'm itching to send off my professional looking novel to publishers simply because it "looks" so ready. It would take many drafts to get it looking as physically neat if I were using a quill (or even a typewriter). The re-writing in those drafts would be significant.

I don't think I'll ever go back to pen and paper for composition, but I do think it helps to remind ourselves that good writing takes time, many iterations, and usually some peer and professional input (a point that you make very well in Networds). Just because it looks clean, and is well formatted doesn't mean it is ready for the world. In our fast pace world where we are continually encouraged to write quickly and get our work "out there", we mustn't forget the crucial editing steps. Editors (including that internal self-editor) are more important to good words than ever.

Cheers.

Maggie Ball,
http://www.compulsivereader.com/html

>> Feedback: nick@nickusborne.com

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SURVEY: HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU DEVOTE TO THESE ELEMENT OF WRITING?

Percentage of time spent on preparing to write: ...%

Percentage of time spent on writing first draft: ...%

Percentage of time spent on rewrites and editing: ...%

Comments:

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