I
realize this Kamikaze Copy Course has focused on the how-tos of Concept, Input,
Headlines, Content, Language of Concept, the Kamikaze Key Fact, Prospect Targeted Writing, Features/Benefits, etc. All
important to making your Copy Kamikaze, there’s one more topic I need to
discuss. Arguably without this
one, the rest don’t matter.
I
have always maintained The Joy is in the Edit. If you’ve been in one of my classes, you’ve heard me say it
least a dozen times. Unlike
writers who thrill at the first rush of verbal catharsis, I find the nitty
gritty perfecting of that first verbal outpouring where fun – and
professionalism – come out to play.
Editing’s
a huge subject, one easier shown in person than written about in a blog. I do have some tips, hints, steps you
can take on your own, however. Do
these, you’re almost there.
1.
Check your
work for Kamikaze Copy Sins. Every
word. Every Copy Sin on my
list. Every Copy Sin you’ve added
as your own personal weakness.
Highlight each one, then fix them.
Sometimes it’s an easy fix.
Sometimes the fix will make you uncomfortable at first. The more you do without them, the more
sense they make.
Sometimes software can help – use the Finder to
ferret out all those repeated words and phrases. The Spelling & Grammar Check can help, but - especially if you’re using any version
of Word, - don’t depend upon it.
Word is terrible with advanced tenses, subject/verb agreement, homonyms
(there they’re theirs, etc.). It
likes traditional style, worries about fragments, loves to add “ands,” commas,
often doesn’t recognize words at all – especially those pesky ones –
client/product names, industry terms (considering it’s a much bandied about
term at Microsoft, you’d think it’d know “grok” – it doesn’t), slang, made up
advertisingese, yadda yadda yadda.
As to the individual Copy Sins themselves,
it’ll want to put most back in.
There’s some agreement, starting lines w/but, because, and, etc. It hates the passive voice and will
sometimes point out confused/overwritten/run-ons and other structure
problems. The way it wants to fix
thing’s another story. One not
included in any Style Book – Kamikaze, NYTimes,
whatever.
There’s no such thing as a quick software fix. Memorize the Kamikaze Copy Sins, buy
yourself a few old library dictionaries (the kind that weigh 50 lbs), dig out
your old grammar texts and apply religiously. Why the grammar text?
(Woe Is I, written for
grammarphobes by Patricia O’Conner, is an even better idea.) You have to know the rules before you
can get away with breaking them.
2.
Get rid of
the modifiers and descriptors. Make
your writing visual instead. Make
the reader SEE what you’re talking about.
Not just read a description of it.
Keep it active, engaging.
3.
Forswear
the “you” voice. Went out with the
80s. Shoulder pads may come
back. The “you” voice never
will. One of the quickest ways to
write yourself into a box – and repeat words (you, your, yours, etc.) – I know.
4.
Break up
those run-ons, shorten those long sentences/fragments, simplify your
structure. Structure is the Number
One reason your writing isn’t working.
Here are some (but not all) ways to approach structural fixes:
Reverse the order of things. Put the tail end of the line in front, the
front at the tail. Smooth out the
in-between.
Break it up. Get rid of commas, ands, semi-colons. Insert periods even if only fragments
remain. Get rid of the “ands”
too. Use a comma instead. You think “and” makes the flow more
natural? The reader thinks it’s
more than he/she wants to read.
5.
Change the
order of lines, sentences/fragments, paragraphs. Really mix them up.
You may find incorrect order makes otherwise clear narrative
confusing. Confusing makes readers
stop reading.
6.
Read it
out loud. If you stumble over
anything after the second or third read, it’s a problem. Fix it.
7.
Hand it
off to someone else to read. Preferably
another writer. We read what we meant
to write, not what we actually put on the paper/screen. Don’t trust yourself. If you do, no one else will.
8.
If you
must rely on your own edits, you’ll stop seeing things as they are. Start skipping words, even whole
phrases, after the first few go-rounds.
Here’s a technique I use:
Change the way the page looks.
Trick yourself into thinking you’re reading something different. Change fonts. Do one edit on screen, another on paper. Change the color of your printouts –
paper and/or font.
Put it away before the final edit. Sleep on it. I guarantee you’ll find stuff you missed in the morning.
9.
Get rid of
that intro/first paragraph. About
65% of the time you don’t need it.
Don’t try to self-edit it out during the first burst of writing. That needs to flow without
interference. It’s highly likely
it doesn’t need to be there, however.
Try taking it out, see if it doesn’t put the Prospect where you want
faster.
Still in love with it? See if it doesn’t belong worked between
lines in another paragraph.
Rewrite it, break it up, spread it around. If it still seems like it’s missing, maybe it is. Ask another writer, a very verbal
AD/GD, a great AE if you have one.
10. Get rid of that middle paragraph laundry list
of features. Turn them into
benefits and meld them into the ad’s storyline. That “feature” paragraph is almost always death to the KLOC
(Kamikaze Language of Concept).
Features just name things.
Benefits are what’s important to the Prospect. Don’t name the thing.
Don’t explain/describe/define it.
Translate it into an active, prospect-centered benefit integral to your
concept. (Related subject: forget using like. Big Copy Sin. Does the car have something like seatbelts? Or does it have seatbelts?)
11. Revisit your headline. Sometimes there’s a better one hidden
in your body copy. It’s often the
last line, but not always. A
better headline may be lurking elsewhere. Maybe in that list of 500 headlines you write for every
assignment. Maybe somewhere else. Find it. Use it.
12. Don’t give your AD, GD, WD your
responsibilities. Headline copy
breaks are your decision, not theirs.
What they think looks better graphically/fits the layout better may kill
a great headline, change its meaning, render it incomprehensible. Paragraph breaks, sub/crosshead
placement, bold leads, etc. fall under the same category. Your job, no one else’s.
13. Put it down. Take a walk. Go
to lunch. Sleep on it. If you’re on a tight deadline, do
something – anything – to get a thought/awareness break. Get it out of your mind – even for just
a few minutes. Actively think
about something else.
The Incubation phase of the Creative Process (Define
the Problem, Get more Input than you’ll ever need, Incubate, Illuminate,
Validate) doesn’t just happen in Concept.
It happens in writing/editing too.
Use it – your next go-round will be on a fresher reading piece.
I’ve found meditation a great way to create
very short mini-incubation periods.
As meditators/self-hypnosis mavens know, you can tell yourself how long
to be “out.” Just before you slip
into the Now, tell yourself how long you want to stay there. All you need is five minutes. Twenty if you have them. No matter how long/short, when you come
you'll feel like you’ve been away for days.
14. Don’t ever settle. Work it until it’s perfect. That includes making sure every technical/beneficial point
of every product is 100% correct. Nothing kills a great piece faster than incorrect – or
inadequate – information.
Go over it again after it’s been laid out
and put together with the graphics. You’ll
probably find a few things you
missed in all those earlier edits.
See #8.
15. Make all the changes you can before the client
meeting. Clients aren’t idiots,
but
neither are they trained Copywriters. They get hung-up on stuff like
incorrect product info, words they’ve never seen in ads before, typos,
fragments, etc. If you’re smart,
you’ll recognize no matter what anyone else tells you, your Client is part of
your creative process. Keep them
invested in the outcome. Make them
participate, not sit in judgment.
I’ve seen too much great work killed because
the client came in on it cold, got stuck on a single point/word and rejected
the entire idea. Ditto the
graphics. Treat clients with
respect. Involve them early (even
if it’s just input, follow-up calls, asking new questions that come up in
concept/copy and/or confirming/clarifying confusions). If they understand where you come from – and where you’re
headed, they may still kill that word you love, make you revise a product error
– but they’re less likely to send you back to Square One. After all, you’ve made it their work, too.
16. About those client ordered revisions. Sometimes a client will know there’s
a problem, but won’t know
how to tell you exactly what it is.
In a nice way, keep asking until you’re at the heart of it. Try editing with them in the
meeting. They may not really hate
that line you love – it may just have incorrect info, be in the wrong place,
confuse rather than inform.
Respect their instincts, but stay confident. Don’t say this, but if they could do it themselves,
they wouldn’t be paying you/your agency to do it for them. Help them. Clients are less likely to reject the entire piece when you
everyone understands what the problem really is.
17. Remember the Four Pushes. Push the Strategy/Kamikaze Key
Fact. Push the Concept. Push the Headline. Push the Copy. Then add a Fifth: Push the AD so your copy can do what it's supposed to do.
18. Challenge everything. Your input.
Your strategy. Your
Concept, Creative, Copy. Challenge
your AD, your Client, your AE.
Most of all, Challenge Yourself.
Brass tacks, you’re the only one who can.
©2012, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative
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