How to write yourself out of writer’s block

Ivan Levison —
Direct Mail, E-mail and Advertising Copywriting

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THE LEVISON LETTER
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Action Ideas For Better Direct Mail,
E-mail, Web Sites & Advertising

Published by
Ivan Levison, Direct Response Copywriting

October, 2001
Volume: 16 Number: 10

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How to write yourself out of writer’s block
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Do you ever have to write direct mail, collateral, or
other marketing materials?

Then you know how easy it is to get stuck, and waste
time staring at a blank screen or piece of paper.

Perhaps I can help with some suggestions. You see, when
you write as much copy as I do, there's no time for
"writers' block", hang-ups, or head-scratching.

How do you develop fluency as a writer?

An old joke answers the question:

A guy gets into a cab in New York and asks the driver,
"How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" The driver turns to
him and answers wisely, "Practice. Practice. Practice."

Yup. Like anything else, technique comes with time,
and a good, smooth, conversational flow should come
quite unconsciously after a while. Yet there are a
number of specific techniques that can bail you out of a
tricky situation.

Let's take a look at a few that can save you a lot of
time and grief and improve your writing.

1. If you're really stuck, start over.

It happens to all of us. You're writing away, happy as
can be, then suddenly it strikes. The problem paragraph.

No matter how hard you try to fix things, the little devil
just won't give. Things don't sound right. When you fix
something here, something is thrown off there. Like
that knot tied in your shoelace, you pick away at it
and get nowhere fast.

Now, you can't throw away that expensive pair of shoes,
but you CAN chuck the problem paragraph.

Do it. Throw it away and start over using a completely
new approach. You'll quickly find a solution that
works. Trust me on this one. Starting completely fresh
is the only way to go!

2. Don't forget the adjectives!

The best way to beef up flat copy is by adding
adjectives. After all, nouns themselves don't
communicate a heck of a lot:

The book. The dog. The house.

But one colorful adjective can sharpen things up
considerably:

The best-selling book. The mangy dog. The chartreuse
house.

Let's take a look at some typical lines spruced up with
a few adjectives.

WRONG: Here's an offer you shouldn't miss.

RIGHT: Here's a special, limited-time offer you really
shouldn't miss.

WRONG: Looking for incentive ideas? Send for our
booklet.

RIGHT: Looking for exciting, practical incentive ideas?
Send for our free 32-page booklet!

WRONG: We're a company you can count on for attention.

RIGHT: We're a small, friendly company you can count on
for personalized attention.

3. Chop a long sentence into shorter ones.

This is an error I see all the time. People write these
long, enormous sentences that seem to go on forever.
Forget it. We live in a society that's speed oriented.
We eat fast food. We zap around the channels. Hey,
who's going to stick around to read a rococo sentence?

The trick is to keep the pace sharp. One way to do this
is to be a sentence-buster. Knock that long sentence
down into two or more.

Here. Take a look:

WRONG: This fantastic, exotic flaring red Amaryllis
grows nearly an inch a day indoors and bursts out with
super-sized blooms 5 to 7 inches across.

RIGHT: (AS IT ACTUALLY APPEARED IN A HARRY AND DAVID'S
CATALOG) Fascinating! This exotic, flaming red
Amaryllis grows darn near an inch a day - indoors!
Bursts out with super-sized blooms 5 to 7 inches
across.

WRONG: We don't sell hardware or software and as a
result, don't have any biases, vested interests, or
hidden agendas.

RIGHT: We don't sell hardware or software. This means
we don't have any biases, vested interests, or hidden
agendas.

Better. Crisper. Sharper.

4. Kick it off with a question.

For a lot of people, the toughest thing in the world is
getting started.

They're all right after they're rolling, but getting
out of the starting blocks is really hard.

There are a million ways to get started but let me
share one with you that's pretty easy to use.

Start with a question. It gets the reader involved
quickly (and gets you moving!)

EXAMPLES:

Do you know the best way to buy inexpensive RAM?

Which hard drive gives you the most memory for the
dollar?

What will chip speeds be in twelve months?

The take-away message this month?

Writing isn't always easy, but if you practice and use
proven techniques you too can create prose like the
pros.

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How To Get In Touch
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Ivan Levison
Direct Response Copywriting
14 Los Cerros Drive
Greenbrae, CA 94904

Phone: (415) 461-0672
Fax: (415) 461-7738
E-mail: ivan@levison.com
Web Site: http://www.levison.com

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