Last quarter I talked about interviewing / gathering data. So now you've got several thousand words of notes, hopefully digitally recorded. What comes next?
GETTING ORGANIZED
I suggested organizing your interview questions into 4 groups. I'm going to label them for you A, B, C, D.
·what is the business problem? = A
·what is the high level solution? = B
·can you tell me more about the solution? = C
·why should I trust you (as my vendor?) = D
Any decent piece of writing has a beginning, a middle and an end. So before you start editing / writing you want a map, to show you where you are going. Take a blank sheet of paper, write four major headings and label them A, B, C, D, as above.
Now read your notes. When you find data relevant to "A" (the business problem), underline that copy and mark a big "A" in the margin (in red?) . Keep working through until you have marked up relevant copy for all four sections of your piece.
You will be leaving out anything that does not seem suitable as you go.
THE CUT AND PASTE JOB
Next comes a cut and paste job. Group together all the "A"s, then the "B"s, "C"s and "D"s.
Next, take a look at all the ideas you have in the A group. It helps if you take a new sheet of paper and write a list of the ideas or facts in the A group. Now prioritize. Be ruthless. And trust your first instinct. If an idea seems to leap out and have life, put it first. The less important ones come later. Weed out any repetition or weak data. Now you work on flow. Do you have a logical flow of ideas that your reader can follow? Are you telling him/ her a story that you yourself could believe in?
You will go through the same exercise with the remaining blocks of notes, ie "B","C" and "D".
EDITING IS PRIORITIZING
Editing is prioritizing. Often you will want to limit a list of ideas to 3. Three has a flow to it. And is about as much as any reader or listener can grasp at one sitting.
Finally you polish. Now you are reading for flow or musicality.You are cutting out superfluous ideas and words.
This is the long way to write.
THE SHORT WAY TO WRITE
The short way is to sift and prioritize all your notes in your mind ie you turn on your thinking tool. The key idea will pop into view, and hey presto, you begin writing about that one. You have a feeling for what comes next and what after that. You understand how to prioritize your ideas. Soon with a bit of jiggling ideas around the page, your story has a beginning, a middle and an end.
You can teach yourself the short way by writing the long way, again and again. Or by turning copy round in the middle of the night for an 07.00am deadline as I often had to do as a newspaper feature writer.
"When we encounter a natural style, we are astonished and delighted: for we expected to see an author, and we find a man." Blaise Pascal. Quoted with thanks to John R. Trimble, Writing with Style published by Prentice Hall.
Do you have a robust marketing plan to execute against? How clear and persuasive is your website, brochure copy or direct mail? Call Neroli Lacey NOW to win more business TODAY.
About The Author
I'm Neroli Lacey of Beyond Communications Inc. in Minneapolis, MN. I've been helping executives transform their businesses and their lives with outstanding marketing materials since 1995. VISA, 3M and Perot Systems are some of my bigger clients. I have worked with clients in Boston, San Francisco, Dallas, Austin, Minneapolis, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin and Delhi. I used to be one of the top journalists in Britain writing for The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, The Guardian, The Evening Standard, New Statesman, Vogue and Tatler.
Before newspapers I was an investment banker. I grew up in London, England, studying Latin with Greek at Bristol University.
Please visit my website: www.beyondcommunications.com
Or contact me at: neroli@beyondcommunications.com
612-215-3826
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
|
![]() |
Anyone who's ever tried marketing IT products or... Read More
You have to choose a character or an angle that... Read More
New to tech-writing, or thinking about starting? The key to... Read More
Want to know the secret of creating MEMORABLE promotional copy?... Read More
Over the last decade, the number of companies selling their... Read More
When you sit down to write a sales letter to... Read More
In a crowded market, clients will be seeking personality as... Read More
I do not pretend that a one-stop shop solution to... Read More
Do you possess the qualities of a good proof reader?... Read More
Back in the late nineties, the phrase 'Content is King'... Read More
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available?... Read More
How do you make your fundraising letters creative and fresh... Read More
How can you gain credibility and exposure for you and... Read More
About 50 years ago, movie serials kept theater crowds coming... Read More
These days, there's widespread acceptance that a website is an... Read More
Many people feel they have a story to tell or... Read More
Sometimes it's a struggle to figure out what's the best... Read More
Now that your website is up and running, it's time... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More
Putting out a high quality product is a given these... Read More
IntroductionA pencil. Yes, a pencil. In my opinion, every great... Read More
An interesting debate is currently raging among copywriters, web designers... Read More
In order to maximize your sales efforts and fully seize... Read More
It's true, we were all taught in school to express... Read More
One of the most important aspects of a website today... Read More
Imagine a bland, colorless existence. Where food had no taste,... Read More
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour. Time... Read More
You have a choice. Do you want to be constructive... Read More
Copywriting ChecklistOkay, you know you have your product (or service)... Read More
One of the least talked-about areas in copywriting education is... Read More
Everyday when I read promotional emails and advertisements, or listen... Read More
If you're hunting for a good freelance copywriter and have... Read More
It was going so well, so what happened? Many copywriters... Read More
Find a passage of poorly written copy, and chances are... Read More
Network marketing is an art as much as it is... Read More
So You Want To be A Copywriter?Wannabe copywriters often check... Read More
Whether you're wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will... Read More
Writing a killer headline for your copy is simple! You... Read More
Hi {FIRSTNAME Friend},Next time you're flicking through your local newspaper,... Read More
There is a difference between creative writing and copywriting. It... Read More
You can turn your $200 fee to write a press... Read More
When you create headlines, do you put benefits into your... Read More
One thing all successful Internet marketers have in common is... Read More
I recently sponsored and attended Joel Christopher and... Read More
Looking for inspiration for your next marketing communication? Try the... Read More
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance... Read More
Most people with an online presence will have to regularly... Read More
What is it exactly that copywriters DO when they produce... Read More
Internet Marketing- Forget the experts, latest software program or even... Read More
Site visitors generally stay with you for as long as... Read More
Every salesperson and fledgling copywriter hears the harangue: DON'T SELL... Read More
Ask yourself these questions:Are you an experienced writer?Do you want... Read More
How does this sound?Today, I'm going to show you how... Read More
When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a... Read More
Have you heard the good things about the field of... Read More
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More
Just as great fiction is an art, so is great... Read More
If you have done your homework then you are ready... Read More
"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause... Read More
Only about 20% of your copy is going to get... Read More
When you receive a sales letter with typos or grammar... Read More
Lots of people who seek out my copywriting services are... Read More
Just because you're running a small business doesn't mean you... Read More
When you're writing or evaluating copy for a B to... Read More
Most salespeople have great ideas, but when it comes to... Read More
You know what it's like, you're reading the sales material... Read More
Copywriting |