It's all in the head (and it's not what you are thinking!) Part 2

It’s all in the head (and it’s not what you are thinking!) -  Part 2

Triggers that helped me cramp up my copy

1.       Copy writing and Creativity:

Allow me to digress for a while; this is important and a tad disconcerting, at least it is to me. I am referring to a line I read somewhere claiming that creativity could be learned.

I’m not so sure about that. You could learn a language and have such mastery that you could turn a phrase. But actually learn creativity...?

Then how do you account for the times when the Muse just bade you write a quaint little poem, or paint... sure, you could be taught the language, or learn the skill to paint... But could you be taught to paint a masterpiece?

And if you disagree with me, then how am I to convince you that sometimes it could be an act of God (if you believe in God), or that it is a piece by God (if you think you are God)? Because, sometimes, you are driven...

And how can I be so sure? Because I can recount at least two ads that I cranked out without a thought, effortlessly, one after the other. The effort resulted in true bliss and a reaffirmation of God’s hand. I take no credit for it. It came from without. I begin my little e-book with a little prayer of thanks for His hand in my journey. I am truly humbled by the experience.

I have no explanation for the ads. I’m sorry to disappoint a lot of you, dear readers, but that’s the truth. I remember sitting in front of the computer and wondering where my day was going to take me, when I wrote without thinking that I was about to strike gold, the words:

Citizen of the World

And even before I could give myself some time to think about what I had written, out sprang another line that went something like this:

The Taste of the Forbidden

It was only after I briefly paused to reflect, that I realised that I had struck gold.

 It was a flash of inspiration, without a particular brand in mind that I quickly typed out on the screen.

While I confess that there is no explanation as to how I came upon these two ads, I have to emphasize this: 

You must be at peace with yourself when you are sitting before the screen. Ensure that there are no distractions; that you are not to be disturbed at any cost for those two hours every day. A little bit of discipline will do you no harm in your otherwise chaotic life. So, set a time for your daily practice and stick with it and let no one convince you otherwise. 

Make quiet your thoughts before you start. Think of nothing but having something down on paper by the end of your two hours. Keep an open mind and let your thoughts flow. Don’t judge your work as you write. Just write whatever comes to mind. You will have time later to edit your work. 

Although my life is a living proof of chaos, some time in my day was kept strictly for writing copy and I am proud to admit that there was a method to my madness. I devoted two hours every day to writing copy seven days a week for around six to eight years. Of course, I had other things to do and copy was not all I did. And without sounding immodest, that should explain why I came up with just 40 and not more.

I would also like to add that the best way to work is to do good work without expectation of reward. I have been thus far without employment. But that does not mean that I produce poor quality work. You have to do your best every day, every time. And if you do so, there is no power on earth that can stop you from reaping the benefits of your hard work.

Do the good work sincerely, and the rewards will follow.

Also, watch your brain as you start the process. What were you thinking of when you were about to write? What are the first thoughts when you look at or think of the product? That’s your thought. Yours only, because you fleshed it out in your mind. And what you write to describe the idea would be your command over... your love for the language. What we see in the final draft of your headline, is something very personal to you, because you incubated the idea in your mind until your spat the words out in print. That is when it became an art. And that’s the challenge: to do it again and again and again, with as much ease as when you strode up the podium to collect your first ever gold at Cannes.

Are you with me? Good, then on to the next trigger that influenced my writing, which is:

Be sure to catch what it is in the next edition!