Copy

There’s no excuse for writer’s block.

No, really… there isn’t.

Any delay in getting started is called procrastination.

It’s not just writers who have trouble getting things underway, either. Even if you don’t write professionally that doesn’t mean you are immune to the problem.

Customer mailshots or even emails to colleagues – especially if the subject is a tricky one – can leave us struggling.

If you have a blank screen and the words won’t come it means one of two things – and not one of them involves putting the kettle on for a brew. It means either:

  • You’re not that bothered about what you’re about to write – in which case why are you writing?

or

  • You don’t have an intended outcome in mind – in which case why are you writing?

Have a clear understanding of what you want people to do when they stop reading and you will be much better equipped to put the stepping stones in place to get them there.

And after deciding why your words are so important and what you want people to do after reading them, use the following two tricks to get you started.

 

Two guaranteed ways to start the words flowing

  • Have a game of consequences
  • Write down who, what, where, when and how

 

Consequences

The youth group I work with loves playing the game consequences – the game where a group of people builds a story by writing down adjectives, characters, places where the characters came together, the things they did and the eventual outcome.

I played it as a kid with my gran and grandpa, but I wouldn't have dared suggest it as a suitable activity for my cool 16-year-olds.

So I was surprised when one Sunday I asked them what game they wanted to play and that was the answer that came back.

They weren't winding me up, and with the exception of one younger lad, who wrote meaningless rubbish, they played it properly.

And the result was a decent collection of stories.

This is important because we all love a story. From an early age we will be gripped by the rhythm of hearing words read to us and a desire to identify with the characters and what’s going to happen to them.

And that is how to reach your customers effectively – or to convey a message to a colleague or collaborator.

Grab your reader with the main characters â€“ who by a happy coincidence will sound remarkably like them and the important people in their lives.

Then, as in a game of consequences, add colour to your story with adjectives and adverbs, describe the challenges your characters are facing – so that people can put themselves in the situations you’re describing – and then offer solutions to the challenges.

Just as in the game, it’s a one-step-at-a-time process, but in this case you are not playing a game with others, you are building the story yourself.

Once your story is complete, be sure to signpost the next step your reader should take.

 

Who, what, where, when and how?

This is the essential of every news story and every novel that has ever been written.

It’s the first thing a news editor will drum into their new reporters and it’s the framework that holds the plot of every decent thriller together.

Even if some of the answers are held back until the end it’s not the reader who needs to know them – yet – it’s the person telling the story.

So when you’re writing, have the who, what, where, when and how in mind and the words will begin to flow.

• • • • •
 

What do I want you to do next?


Email me with your biggest writing challenge 


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Effective copywriting from Graham Harris, Total Features

Graham Harris
Total Features
01487 843816
07742 102712
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Copyright © 2016 Graham Harris, All rights reserved.


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