Copywriting Tutorials

Click here to view a pdf version of this article

How To Improve Your Writing Technique

You may be one of those lucky people who have the natural “gift” of writing. Every word, sentence, and paragraph on your page turns to platinum. Articulate. Interesting. Charismatic. You were born to dazzle the world with your razor sharp wit.

Well, for the rest of us - and that definitely includes me - writing is just plain HARD work.

But here’s the good news 

You don’t need to be a “brilliant” writer to write good copy.

For those who like to waffle, and who pride themselves on their vocabulary muscle, listen to this - using long words and long sentences will only hinder your message.

Quintessentially and unequivocally verisimilitude.

But thankfully, for the rest of us there is a simple “trick” to the art of better writing. A trick which will make your message as popular and sweet as a chocolate chip cookie.

And it’s this simple … Re-write.

That’s it! Nothing more. It is the secret art of effective writing. It works and has worked for many a professional writer. And it can work for you too.  

Save your sales message from the painful death of torturous waffle. Pummel your words into submission. Cut out the drivel. Trim, prune and slash your word count. Shuffle and jiggle your words.  Leave no phrase unturned and no sentence unharmed. 

And when you’ve done all this - re-write again. And then again. And then again.

Finally, when you feel your prose could be no better. Do something completely different. Wait a while - a day or two. And after that, re-read your lovingly honed-work of wonder. 

Then make more changes to your copy… Re-write again!
:-)

© Jon Ireland Dip IDM, Flying Kite, 2005
Jon Ireland has a post-graduate diploma from the Institute of Direct Marketing and the Institute of Copywriting.