CHAPTER 5
During
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I
’ve read my brief, I’ve defined my reader, I’ve done my
research and I’ve cooked up a plan. With any luck I’m now
panting with anticipation at the prospect of writing. Here’s
how I do it.
It’s been said that, ‘No one writes as
well as they’d like, just as well as they
can.’ How true. However, if you
believe that what you write will be
read then the chances are you’ll write better. Copywriting is
largely about giving a damn. That starts with making one last
effort every time to really polish your prose, and that starts with
getting started.
Getting started
Like many copywriters I’m deeply troubled by the thought of
settling down to write. I find myself tempted – nay, driven – to
delay the inevitable with a series of increasingly bizarre pre-
writing rituals. This section describes some of the ways I try to
get over myself.
Where you invest your attention is what you become
The key to getting anything done is giving it your undivided
attention. To put it another way, how I manage my time is
neither here nor there, it’s what I do in that time – how I direct
copywriting is largely
about giving a damn
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62 brilliant copywriting
my attention – that matters. If I want
to get that damn annual report done
then the amount of time I spend on
it is pretty irrelevant; it’s the extent
to which I focus on it within that
time that will really make a differ-
ence. What I’m saying is don’t mistake time spent staring at the
screen with progress – instead try cultivating a high-focus, short-
burst approach to writing.
The thing you’re avoiding is the thing you need to do
Displacement activities like cleaning the fridge or shampooing
the dog are good, in a strange way. That’s because task avoid-
ance helps highlight the task I need to be doing.The chances are
that the very thing I’m avoiding is the very thing I should be
cracking on with. That’s why it’s the thing I fear – it carries the
most weight. Avoiding it will only make things worse and
increase my growing sense of alarm. Of course, tackling thorny
problems is never easy, which is why the next suggestion may be
of help.
If it’s tough, break it up
Some tasks are inherently scary – difficult phone calls, important
pitches, high-profile pieces of writing for high-pressure clients.
The result can be a sort of creative paralysis. To get around this
I cut the task into bite-sized pieces I can manage without losing
any more hair than I already have. In fact I divide, divide and
divide until I’ve got something I can handle without even a
twinge of fear. I then work through the bits in the right order but
treating each as a separate job, usually separated by cups of tea
and aimless web browsing. That way I can fool my inner coward
into thinking all is well. Actually I’m not fooling anyone – using
this technique, all is well.
don’t mistake time spent
staring at the screen
with progress
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Control impulsive distractions
On the subject of web browsing, I don’t know about you but the
Internet is something of a mixed blessing. On one hand it gives
me instant access to a world of interesting stuff, and on the other
. . . it gives me instant access to a world of interesting stuff. The
temptation to waste time in the name of research is immense.
Checking email is another black hole into which the day disap-
pears. The solution is in two parts: I try to cultivate a sense of
awareness about time wasting and bring myself back to the task
in hand once I notice what’s going on, and I try to sidestep the
whole problem by working in high-concentration bursts with
distractions scheduled in between as a sort of reward. If it gets
really bad I shut down my browser and email, and labour in
splendid isolation.
Do the hardest bit first
If one part of a job looks distinctly harder than the rest, I make
completing that my priority. That way I can comfortably dedi-
cate the biggest chunk of time to it without panicking that the
deadline is racing towards me like a runaway train. Plus, by the
time I’ve completed it I’ll have got into the swing of the whole
thing and doing the less tricky parts will feel like a breeze.
Work when you work best
I’m a morning person. If I haven’t started by 8.30 I feel dirty and
begin to hate myself. I can get quite a bit done before lunch,
whereas the period between 12 and 3 is really only good for
staring out of the window. Then things pick up again for a burst
of semi-decent productivity until I knock off about 6.30. If I
have to work late I try to crack on because by 9 in the evening
I’m good for nothing. So pay attention to when you’re most pro-
ductive and structure your day accordingly, with admin and so
on filling in the downtime.
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