Putting on some music can boost creativity

Any copywriter needs to be able to flit between different styles when needed. Sometimes a client will ask for a personal, light hearted blog while others might want a serious, professional piece. Being able to switch between these styles is an important skill and also lends a bit of extra variety to the job but I am sure that, like me, most writers would always choose a certain style over the other if given the chance.

When I first started freelance writing I had a kind of stiff writing style which always seemed to end up in “5 Ways to…” and “10 Great Things about…” type articles. I guess that this is probably a common problem, as most of us instinctively shy away from relaxing and writing in a more personal way when we are faced with a blank screen.

My breakthrough moment came when a client simply asked me to write about personal experiences. I found that when I type “I” instead of “You” I feel a lot freer. I can add in some jokes, talk about my family and my childhood and generally create something a bit more interesting without worrying about it so much. Writing like this also inspires me far more, meaning that I work faster and take more care over getting everything as well written as I can.

Get the Music On and Get Creative

Setting the right atmosphere by putting on some music and leaning back in my chair seem to help me relax too but I guess every writer has their own routine for getting into a laid back mood. If you don’t then I would suggest you try and find one. It could be a pair of slippers, a glass of something sparkling or just a certain time of day but I think that there is something any of us can use to give us an extra spark.

This casual style I prefer obviously isn’t right for every job, and a couple of clients have asked me to stop making so many jokes or to stop talking about my dog, but I genuinely believe that this relaxed form of writing hits a chord with readers and makes them want to read on. After all, if you open a blog and read one article it is more often than not the personality of the writer and their writing style which makes you want to read on and see what else they and their dog (he’s called Bruno by the way) have got up to.

When it comes to more serious matters such as medical subjects, financial news or football it is time to put away the light hearted approach and get serious. I guess that is what I am trying to get at here in a fairly long winded kind of way. One of the keys to being a good copywriter is in knowing what kind of style is right at any given time. Often one look at a site is enough to tell you this but at other times you might need to make a tentative approach with your first articles to see how well they go down with your audience and the people who are paying you before putting the music on and kicking off the slippers.

Image: Giovanni Sades

Some people who slag off web content writers claim that there’s too much garbage content online and that too many people who write for money do it just for the money and couldn’t care less about the quality.  Some ghostwriters have low work standards when selling writing that won’t have their name on it.  In fact, I once hired a person to work on my writing team but found a comment by her on a writing forum that said she couldn’t be bothered to put much effort in when the work was ghost written. I cringed and promptly lost her email address.

Too many people rewrite, spin, and regurgitate information that’s already out there and it gives hard-working writers a bad name. Too many people pad their articles as they’re getting paid by the word, know nothing about the topic, and can’t be bothered to take the time to write something that’s worth reading so they just re-phrase basic articles that are already out there. Today’s post isn’t really a rant (despite how it sounds so far). Today’s post is intended to provide some food for thought for those starting out in freelance writing, especially ghostwriting.

I try to remember two things when writing:

1. Write tight. It’s on the bottom of every project brief for one of my regular clients.
2. A quote by Stephen King, “You must not come lightly to the blank page.”  Enough said.

I’m not going to say that everything I write online is worthy of a Pulitzer. I know that’s not true but I will say that I do my best to give a ghostwriting client work that they won’t be embarrassed to put their own name on.

If you’re a freelance writer, you know that time is money so it might be tempting to just whip an article for a client together but if you’re not going past basic sources like Wikipedia for information… you’re doing your clients, your own writing career, and the blessed Internet an injustice. 

Sure, Wikipedia is useful and if that’s all you use, your article might even get earn you a “good job” from your client because your article is free of typos, but if you want your articles to be better than okay, I say…”Write it like your own name is on it.”

Writing Research and Article Writing Tips:

For new writers, I suggest you use at least two and preferably more than two sources to come up with content for an article.  Sure, there will be times when you can write off the top of your head or when the client’s directions make it clear that they’re just looking for search engine fodder but if you make it a rule to try to write articles that provide actual value to readers you’ll develop a great reputation and get new clients through word of mouth referrals, too.

Almost anyone can get paid to write a 500-word article about something but it usually takes more than just Wikipedia as a research source to develop a reputation and profitable writing career. In my next post,  I’ll share some of my own sources of writing inspiration and research.

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(photo credit: http://www.sxc.hu/profile/Szorstki)