Comments on: On Being a Copyunwriter http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/ Internet Marketing, Branding and Web Development for B2B Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:45:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Yvonne Russell (Small Biz Mentor) http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1958 Yvonne Russell (Small Biz Mentor) Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:26:12 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1958 Hi Brad I like the Pascal quote. I think Mark Twain said something similar. Like Karen, I find it easier these days to let go of some of my "best" phrases if they don't do anything for the piece. I really enjoy editing. As Robert says, it's quite fun to move the pieces of the word jigsaw around to fit. As Joanna and Karen say, it's much easier to edit other people's work objectively. Hi Brad
I like the Pascal quote. I think Mark Twain said something similar.

Like Karen, I find it easier these days to let go of some of my “best” phrases if they don’t do anything for the piece. I really enjoy editing. As Robert says, it’s quite fun to move the pieces of the word jigsaw around to fit.

As Joanna and Karen say, it’s much easier to edit other people’s work objectively.

]]> By: Brad Shorr http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1957 Brad Shorr Fri, 04 Jul 2008 12:14:51 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1957 Sam, S&W is a great resource and you remind me I need to get a copy. Sam, S&W is a great resource and you remind me I need to get a copy.

]]> By: Sam http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1956 Sam Thu, 03 Jul 2008 23:40:30 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1956 Brad, You guys ever heard of "Strunk and White?" The company I work in a call center for has a proposal-writing guide that quotes William Strunk Jr.: "Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts" -Sam Brad,
You guys ever heard of “Strunk and White?”
The company I work in a call center for has a proposal-writing guide that quotes William Strunk Jr.:

“Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts”

-Sam

]]> By: Karen Swim http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1955 Karen Swim Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:27:10 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1955 Brad, ROFL! Your clean-up was even funnier than the original comment. LOL! Yes, actually it is a nifty little trick because those fragments can be spun into nice new stories or inserted in business pieces when you're looking for a phrase. There are also those that once I move out of the original doc, I just delete. I agree with Joanna, it is always easier to edit for others as you are not "emotionally" invested and can do so with an objective eye. Brad, ROFL! Your clean-up was even funnier than the original comment. LOL! Yes, actually it is a nifty little trick because those fragments can be spun into nice new stories or inserted in business pieces when you’re looking for a phrase. There are also those that once I move out of the original doc, I just delete.

I agree with Joanna, it is always easier to edit for others as you are not “emotionally” invested and can do so with an objective eye.

]]> By: Brad Shorr http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1954 Brad Shorr Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:21:32 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1954 Robert, It's not weird to like editing - I can see the attraction anyway. You are a craftsman and seem to like details. Fine qualities for a writer or editor. Joanna, LOL ... Leadership by unexample. Editing other people's work does seem to be less stressful ... why is that? Robert, It’s not weird to like editing – I can see the attraction anyway. You are a craftsman and seem to like details. Fine qualities for a writer or editor.

Joanna, LOL … Leadership by unexample. Editing other people’s work does seem to be less stressful … why is that?

]]> By: Joanna Young http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1953 Joanna Young Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:56:27 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1953 Hi Brad, I was also thinking you'd be wishing you could do some unwriting with your comment to Karen :-) Good job we're all friends. I have to say I enjoy the editing process - but more so when I'm editing other peoples stuff than my own Joanna Hi Brad, I was also thinking you’d be wishing you could do some unwriting with your comment to Karen :-) Good job we’re all friends.

I have to say I enjoy the editing process – but more so when I’m editing other peoples stuff than my own

Joanna

]]> By: Robert Hruzek http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1952 Robert Hruzek Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:56:07 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1952 I don't know, Brad. Maybe I'm weird. Or something. For me, the best part of writing is the copywriting, because that's when I take the rough draft and really smack it into shape. I find that part of the job fun, actually. Pruning, shaping, shifting things around - it's really fun to see it finally come together. By the way, nice save up there with Karen... ;-) I don’t know, Brad. Maybe I’m weird. Or something.

For me, the best part of writing is the copywriting, because that’s when I take the rough draft and really smack it into shape. I find that part of the job fun, actually.

Pruning, shaping, shifting things around – it’s really fun to see it finally come together.

By the way, nice save up there with Karen… ;-)

]]> By: Brad Shorr http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1951 Brad Shorr Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:49:18 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1951 Karen, My last comment came out wrong. Didn't mean to imply your writing needs a lot of editing, just that you have produced quite a bit of material over your career. Karen, My last comment came out wrong. Didn’t mean to imply your writing needs a lot of editing, just that you have produced quite a bit of material over your career.

]]> By: Brad Shorr http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1950 Brad Shorr Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:47:52 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1950 Karen, Great idea about saving edits for later. You probably have quite a library by now. Karen, Great idea about saving edits for later. You probably have quite a library by now.

]]> By: Karen Swim http://www.straightnorth.com/blog/on-being-a-copyunwriter/comment-page-1/#comment-1949 Karen Swim Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:41:44 +0000 http://www.wordsellinc.com/?p=775#comment-1949 Hi Brad, unwriting is as much art as composing the initial piece. I have come to enjoy the process but it took time to get there. When I was younger, I was married to every word on the page! I most enjoy when someone else unwrites for me. :-) If I find myself attached to a sentence or two, I copy them into a new document. In this way I haven't banished it entirely and I am free to use it in the future in a new text. Hi Brad, unwriting is as much art as composing the initial piece. I have come to enjoy the process but it took time to get there. When I was younger, I was married to every word on the page! I most enjoy when someone else unwrites for me. :-) If I find myself attached to a sentence or two, I copy them into a new document. In this way I haven’t banished it entirely and I am free to use it in the future in a new text.

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