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Creative Writing at Work
| Guest post by: Lynda McDaniel |
Article Overview: Five easy ways to add verve to your verbiage--and zeroes to your paycheck.
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Free Download - How to Write a Bang-up Bio By Lynda McDaniel |
Creative Writing at Work
Creative business writing is easier than you think. And it's fun. Fun to write and fun to read. That means your readers--aka your boss, staff, clients, and customers--will thank you with praise, pay, and promotions.
A spark of creativity takes your writing from ho-hum to how-about-that! You'll better communicate your message, engage audiences, and brighten your days. In the process, you'll stand out from the rest.
Just in case you have this lingering notion that creative business writing doesn't matter, consider this: A client of mine at a Fortune 100 company told me she turned down someone's concept because the proposal was so poorly written. She said that his confusing proposal not only shortchanged his idea, it told her what it would be like to work with him. People assess you with the clues they have. In today's e-world, that's usually your words. He might have gotten that contract if he'd taken time to craft interesting examples, tell relevant stories, and include clever touches such as similes, quotes, and plays on words. In other words, if he'd been more creative.
To achieve that, try these tips:
1. Prime your pump by reading one of your favorite writers for 10 to 15 minutes before you start. It's a creativity snack--drink in the writer's creativity and then start your own. Don't worry, it's not imitation--just inspiration.
2. Don't Scribble & Scratch. You know, that tortured writing process where you get down one sentence, then go back and change the verb. You write a second sentence, then go back and scratch out the adjective you used in the first sentence. The perfectionist in us makes us do this. It tugs at us, embarrassed that we didn't get it exactly right from the get-go. To our perfectionist side, writing with abandon is as reckless as driving blindfolded. But you'll rarely end up with anything creative if you Scribble & Scratch. Let it rip!
3. Answer WIIFM (What in it for me?). That's what every reader is thinking, consciously or not. And that's why you want to lace your business documents with benefits rather than features. In other words, you need to show the benefits you provide the reader, not just tell them all your features.
How do you turn your features into benefits? Ask yourself what problems your product or service can solve. How will they make the readers' lives easier?
4. Foreshadow something coming later in the document. Foreshadowing adds intrigue to reports and proposals. For example, when you're introducing a new policy, start with what will happen if the policy isn't adopted. "Next year, five key accounts could be in the hands of ABC, Inc." Now intersperse throughout your speech or report the steps the readers can take to avoid this pitfall. When you create drama and tension by withholding key information until later, you'll keep your readers reading.
5. Create interesting similes. A simile is a figure of speech in which one thing is likened to another. Like the adage, "A picture's worth 1,000 words," similes paint pictures that not only cut verbiage but save time. They help your readers quickly understand a complex idea by comparing it to something familiar. Similes are often introduced by like or as--maybe your product works like a locksmith, a sleuth, or a surgeon. Or your program has something in common with a baseball game or graduation ceremony, an architect or symphony performance. For example:
• Lumping our software packages into one category is like saying pasta is just spaghetti.
• The office was as quiet as Wrigley Field in January. Business was slow and spirits were dragging...
Add creative touches that make people want to read your writing. That's the first step in closing the sale. Not selling anything? Think again. Everything we write is a sales piece vying for someone's time, money, and interest.
This is an excerpt from the e-book by the same name. To get your copy of the full report with 89 creative tips.
How To Write Articles - For Fun
Finding inspiration when the well runs dry
Simple Ways to Improve Your Creative Writing
Making Time for Your Creative Self
The Art of Copywriting Tips - What it Can Do For You
Creative Techniques that Make Business Writing Stand Out
Writing and Publishing eBooks Made Easy #02 - The Creative Writing Process
Start Writing Now
Article Marketing: Twelve Tips for Writing Articles to Grow Your Business
Ten Writing Tips to Promote Your Business
how to make money by writing for TV
Overcome Writer's Block: How to Cure this Common Ailment
The Power of Creativity
Choosing Options
100 Ways to Succeed #52
Mental Momentum
Is Creativity an airy fairy notion or an absolute requirement for the small businessperson
Are You Right Brain Dead?
Brevity and Clarity
How to Find Your Book Writing Rhythm
Article Tags: business writing, creative writing, sales writing
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About the Author: Lynda McDaniel RSS for Lynda's articles - Visit Lynda's website Lynda's written just shy of a thousand magazine articles, all kinds of business collateral, and five books. Her latest, "Words at Work: Powerful business writing delivers increased sales, improved results, and even a promotion or two," took top honors from the National Best Books 2009 Awards. About five years ago, she began teaching and speaking about writing. She discovered she loved getting people fired up about writing. She's helped hundreds of people to write better at national and regional organizations such as The Boeing Company, Key Bank, City of Seattle, YMCA, T-Mobile, SBA, U. of Washington, Cutter & Buck, and Kroll Security.
Click here to visit Lynda's website   Expert to Author How to turn your knowhow into a bestseller Overcome Your Fear of Writing How to Write a Bangup Bio The Doom and Gloom of To Whom It May Concern Forget oldfashioned cover letters Whats in it for me How to keep people reading your business letters and email reports and proposals |
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