My Writing Process
The little monkey in my brain that somehow makes it work.
It took a lot of convincing (myself) to sit down and think about my writing process. I like to leave it untouched, fearing that if I go poking at it, I might scare off the muse that’s hiding somewhere in the crevices of my mind.
But here I am, starting a sentence with a “but”, something I was always told not to do, yet doing it anyway. Why? Because that’s the way I write and that’s the way I’ll always do it. And that’s actually a big part of my writing process: who I am (yes, I started this sentence with an “and”).
Who You Are
I’ve defined writing as a string of words with an end result that contains a little bit of “you”. That’s the mindset that I’ve always approached my writing with. Does this sound like me? Is this how I would say it? How did me writing this make it special?
The secret ingredient to all my writing has always been a little bit of myself. Whether it’s a script for a film, a blog, a white press publication, or even generic web page content; everything I write contains a little of my flair and a part of who I am. Now, without some examples and proper context, this all sounds like spiritual bullcrap that doesn’t tell you much about the way I write. So, let me elaborate.
Dry Content, Flair NOT Sold Separately
Let’s say I’m writing web page content for a SaaS (software as a service) client who works with clients in the medical industry. As you’d imagine, the subject matter is quite serious and somewhat sanitized, which is perfectly fine. Obviously, I wouldn’t include any witty one-liners on their “products and services” page, but I could write one in their employee spotlight section.
Similarly, I would word the content of their homepage as professionally as possible, but add a little more human flair, such as softer, more caring language in their “Customer Support” section as this is where the human elements and emotional connection would need to be the strongest.
If there’s one thing I’ve understood from my 8 years of writing, it’s that for readers to care, they have to connect with your writing on an emotional level, regardless of what it is. Even the most by-the-book client, working in a sanitized industry, still prefers some flair where appropriate.
Including even a little drop of creative flair in any bit of content makes it exponentially more approachable, readable, and memorable. And for me, good content must contain those 3 elements to be successful.
Finding the Balance
With that in mind, how do I find a balance between this so-called “flair” and factual information that needs to be clearly communicated?
The formula for me has always been: if factual information + flair = informative and fun to read, then my content is successful.
If factual information + flair = unfocused, vague, or confusing, then factual information was not communicated correctly.
If factual information + flair = unengaging, boring, or a slog, then the text needs additional flair.
This is the mindset I adopt when writing. And no, this doesn’t solely refer to content writing or copywriting.
My Creative Writing Process
The aforementioned formulas also serve their purpose in creative writing.
Everything you write, even if it’s just a jumble of words, serves a purpose. When I write scripts, I always ask myself the following question: What is this text, dialogue, or scene adding to the overall story?
This too goes back to the same formula, except instead of factual information, the variable is purpose to the plot. More flair, less plot-driven writing means your story doesn’t go anywhere. No flair and just plot-driven text means your story lacks any sort of human emotion and gives no incentive for your reader to finish what you wrote. It’s just one emotionless step after another.
I Emote and I Inject It Into Everything I Write
At the end of the day, what makes my writing so effective is how I am able to communicate important information while keeping readers engaged. Everything we do is emotionally charged in some way.
Finding a way to tap into the emotion of your reader is what’s important when writing pretty much anything and that’s what I do best.