Ok, there’s no substitute for experience. But the truth is, your professional writing life is served day after day by principles you picked up in elementary school. （That is, on the days you attended). Basic math, basic science, basic English, basic geography, basic penmanship – all of these subjects which are mastered in elementary school already serve the person on an adult level.
Copywriting is no different. What was learned from a fifth-grade elementary teacher makes all the difference between a solid professional writer, and a flaky, meandering amateur.
Theme
Was there a point you waned to make? In fiction, theme arises out of the narrative and character choices. In a novel you’ve got room to discover thematic patterns. Not so in copywriting. You had better know your theme in advance of the article, because frankly, you’ll make more money if you reserve other themes for other articles!
Outlining
Imagine the concept of organizing your thoughts on paper! It’s so crazy it just might work! You’ve got your three or so headers, your subgroupings, and their detailed items. When you have a related thought, you put it in the outline. If there is no place for it, guess what? It doesn’t belong under this topic! Save it for the next article.
Topic Sentences
Every header has a paragraph or three of content. Every paragraph has a nifty little device called a topic sentence. This is a sentence which describes what the paragraph will be about. The paragraph, in turn, will all reflect back upon the topic sentence, until the final sentence, which concludes that topic. Sounds simple, right? Tell it to the stream-of-consciousness ramblers! The topic sentence should be where? At the beginning of the paragraph where people can find it. Who knew your fifth grade teacher was teaching SEO?
Grammar and Punctuation
Don’t break rules. Work within them. You’ll find they help you be understood more than writing “the way the voice in your head speaks”. Unless your the poet e.e. cummings, stick to the rules. You wouldn’t want the legal estate of e.e. coming down on you like a gorilla on a suitcase. You know how litigious poets are.
First Draft
This is when you get all of your ideas down on paper. Supporting thoughts arise and find their places in the paragraphs. This is not the time for self-censoring. Go beyond the first ideas that come to you and find new angles beyond the masses of existing content.
Second Draft
Now you tighten up the phrasing and choose your language more selectively. Cut unnecessary verbiage, such as adverbs and even adjectives. Change “be” verbs to active verbs. Cut awkward phrasing, and check your facts.
Third Draft
Polish your essay or article. The most important part of a good third draft is – time. Writers do themselves no greater favor than leaving their work alone for an hour, a day, a week, or a month, and coming back to it with fresh eyes. Invariably the work benefits from the broadening perspective of time. The human mind assembles its puzzles while you focus on other things. New associations lie dormant, awaiting discovery. When your new ideas so overwhelm the original as to require a restructuring of the entire project, stop right there, and start a new project.
The final rule learned in fifth grade, which cannot be stressed enough in importance, serves as a professional litmus that will cement business relationships and shake out the unprofessional throughout your career:
Play nice!
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Parker Cent
One Cent Copywriter
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