How to Write Short, Crop Well a Matter of Practice

I'll admit I've thoroughly enjoyed How to Write Short by Roy Peter Clark, and it's served as a great refresher course in copywriting. (Actually, it applies to all forms of writing. Copywriting just happens to be what I do the most.)

But How to Write Short isn't a breakthrough method or a new spin on anything - rather, it reminds you of the rules, and how experts employ them.

If you're a copywriter, it's a definition of the tools you use daily. Without thinking about them. Maybe, it reminds you of a few of those tools you don't use often enough. Probably, it will occur to you that you overuse a few of them. Almost certainly, it will teach you that those tools actually have names.

Whether you write novels or catalog copy or blog posts, your writing improves with practice. (I'll wait while you file that under Well-Duh or Obvi.) And the thing is, you learned by being taught in boring classrooms and by seeing your first efforts marked by a red pen. If you became a professional writer or copywriter, your practice paid off - and you forgot how you do what you do. You just do. (Hello, mastery.)

Aside: I don't want to draw the analogy out to brain surgeons and nuclear physicists; 

I'd like to think they regularly re-read all of their college textbooks. 

(Oh, the great luxuries of a Liberal Arts degree...)

And so I believe it is with photography. Practice of the basics becomes your "natural instinct." What you forget - or the rules you fail to follow - becomes your "artistic signature." Of course I'm not knocking photographers; I kinda consider myself one. I bring it up because just after I'd begun reading How to Write Short, I was sucked in (I meant that in a good way) to an article titled "How to Crop Images Like a Pro."

Honestly, I thought it would be a great example of an SEO-grabbing headline backed up by disappointing content. It wasn't. Instead, it's a solid article listing the basic tools that professionals employ in framing, cropping, and restyling images.

My point? Professional communication and writing, like photography and many other things a person is supposedly "talented in" - or not - are greatly improved by, and probably even made through, excessive practice.

So write on, my friends.

Writing for Free, Contests, and Other Opportunities

I've always liked Midwest Book Review, for several reasons. As a reader, I find its reviews are clean and clear. As a writer, I find it policies simple and straightforward.

Midwest Book Review doesn't pay reviewers, and it makes that clear in a nice way: reviewers are called "volunteers." Submission is simple (text in the body of an email) and MBR doesn't get all fluffy describing the "benefits" of volunteering. It is clear about bylines - you can get one, but won't always. The criteria, again, is clear. 

Also as a reader, you might want to know why most MBR reviews are positive. That's because it only accepts to review books it thinks will make the cut, so to speak. 

So, if you're a writer looking for a place to get exposure and have some decent, recent online writing samples, look into writing for MBR. Trust me, you could do a lot worse. If you're a reader looking for reviews on books you'll probably like, same goes. 

Writing Contests - May 2014 & More

Looking for essay, poetry, fiction or non-fiction writing contests? I love "how-tos" so I'm partial to this one:

Baltimore Review Summer Contest

Online submission deadline: May 31, 2014

The theme for the Baltimore Review’s summer contest is “How To.” Why? Because writers are unabashedly inquisitive and can instruct readers in such eloquent ways. Instruct our readers in how to do anything—anything at all—in the course of your poem, fiction, or creative nonfiction, and you’re eligible. 3,000-word limit for prose, 1-3 poems per entry. $10 entry fee. Prizes: $500, $200, and $100. All entries considered for publication. Deadline is May 31, 2014. Final judge: Michael Downs. Hit blue Submit button on Submit page, then the Contest link to enter. Also considering non-theme (non-contest) submissions. Visit baltimorereview.org.

If you're a longer-form fiction writer, you might like Glimmer Train's Standard contests, for stories not to exceed 12,000 words. Three contests per year, prize money, and no reading fee! A nice combination, don't you think?

I found these contests on NewPages.com, where most of the contests are for unpublished work. However, it also lists a few for previously published work. 

Mini Matriculate Monday

Is Thuronyi Bluff a poker strategy, Antarctic feature, crime case?

Thank the Library of Congress for this one! 

The Science.gov site doesn't have user-friendly search, but hey, if you're looking for a way to procrastin... uh, educate yourself, scroll through the fun weekly Q&A-style trivia. 

Here's one you word-lovers might like: The answer is archaeoastronomy. Want the question? Happy hunting! 

Great Advice, If You're Going for Ironic

I love the advice from a Forbes blogger on being more effective.  Especially item number eight. It would be better if it were clear that the typo was intended to be ironic.

Sigh.

Your Guest Post Could Be Here!

It's time for me to handle a couple of pressing personal projects that are a whole lot more important than managing this blog. *heavy sigh* Let me rephrase that: anyone want to offer some guest posts on writing, journalism, new media, old media, or ... almost anything involving words? Let me know.

Please Don't Tell Anyone: Free Marketing/PR Advice

Hey, you do marketing/publicity/press release stuff, right? Would you have any tips for me on publicizing my crowd funding appeal? Hey, I've got a Facebook page. I could make you a manager and you could write something for it! Can you tell me how to use the 'boost post' feature? That's advertising, right? Want to help me write a grant? ...business plan? ...employee manual? 

Funny thing is, professional marketing/advertising/copywriter types are good at what they do because they stay current on industry and audience trends, write, rewrite, and practice their craft. They even attend seminars and stuff... sure, it's all available online. So is everything you'd need to drywall your basement. So, why don't you Google it and go for it?

Sorry for the snarky 'tude - I've been asked for free advice one too many times already this week. All right; if you came here to learn all the tricks of the trade, I'll dish. 

Whether you're crafting a business plan, press release, Facebook or email campaign, customer or employee newsletter, white paper or case study, here's what you need to know: they all start with the same basic ingredients.

All you need to do to write great copy

• Look at likely prospects. What do you know about them?
• Where are they, what do they read, what do they care about?
• Why would/how could you appeal to them more than competitors would?

Once you answer those questions, you have all the raw material you need to craft your message. When you have the nut of what you need to say, you go back to the first step, which is understanding your prospects. Then, just tailor the message so that it's most likely to hit the target. To do that, all you have to do is hone the message to fit into the appropriate format (structure, length, tone, etc.) and stand out just a little.

Yep. That's it in a nutshell.

Please don't tell anyone about this post. The next thing you know, everyone will be creating great copy. And pretty soon, we'll have a glut of finished basements, too.

# #

Here's another secret: good copywriting only looks easy to write because it's easy to read. Effective copywriting doesn't get noticed because its job is to get your message noticed. I specialize in writing that works. Contact me so we can start getting your message out. And yes, my Website Reality Check is still available at the posted price. You'll find it here under "Looking for a Deal" 

~Diane Stresing

From one crazy profession to another

Poynter just never disappoints.

As (hundreds of?) thousands of journalists have done in the past few years, John Biemer, an AP reporter, decided to leave his profession.

He went into medicine instead. And that's why Dr. Biemer snagged a blog post at Poynter. It's worth reading, as is almost anything Poynter produces.

From one disrupted profession to another, eh? I suspect (and hope) that Dr. Biemer will tell us more stories.