Body Copy II

1. Body Copy II Writing Well

2. Objectives: • Upon completion of this class and the assignments, you will be able to: • Identify the key elements of good writing • Describe how a writer develops a style • Describe how a writer uses “particular” language • Follow the guidelines in writing check sheets

3. Remember the Rules • Voice is critical to writing well but it’s not alone.(Felton, 2006) • Remember the basics of writing an English paper we discussed earlier. All good writing has: • Voice • Details • Thesis • Organization and structure • Style

4. The Devil is in the Details • Details, details, details • Good writing is concrete and specific • Draw from your research • Interesting, intriguing facts, surprises, strategy • Porsche For Example

5. Use Particular Language • Be specific and Impactful • Is it good flavor or “mouth-watering” flavor? • Is it refreshing or “as cool as a spring shower”? • Connotation counts just as much as Denotation • What you say you mean and what you really mean • Read (see) between the lines • Create Images • Paint me a picture with words • Consider Similes and especially Metaphors • Not just cold but as cold as a … • Honda Accord For Example • The Potato Clock

6. Get it Together:Organization and Structure • Is there a beginning, middle and end? • 3 part approach • Headline • First line of copy • Last line of copy • Establish Coherence

7. Style Have your own way of saying and showing things • Tighten and sharpen • If you can take it out and it still makes sense - - cut • Write with nouns and verbs not adjectives and adverbs • Make them active not passive • Passive is “isness” verbs, variations on “to be” • Example: The sensation of driving the Miata is pure enjoyment • Even if describing something use verbs with power • Split, tear, rend, trashed, etc. • When you get into a VW, it gets into you • Miata makes driving magic. • Write grammatically correct and straight forward sentences • Use concrete verbs and subjects • Avoid nominalization … match subjects and verbs do not make verbs into nouns or nouns into verbs • Government speak …”lets sensate the experience of nominalizing.” • Prefer the “Loose Style” • Style again boils to down one rule … KISS

8. The Loose Style • The style is simple, conversational, easy to read • Sentence fragments are the copy version of a loose style • Flow • Emphasis • Rhythm • But … don’t go too far or you get choppy • Parallelism • Turn the long and complicated into the short and parallel • L.L. bean

9. Study Style • To develop style, study style • Read, analyze, think about • Practice, modify, grow • Use handbooks (E.B White, etc.) but don’t become boring by imitation – be CREATIVE • Don’t overwrite … don’t be formulaic … be a real

10. How body copy is NOT like Freshman Composition • It doesn’t just describe … it sells • It states benefits, not just features • You are building not a case but Brand Image • You are describing and selling a lifestyle, a feeling, not hardware. • Honda Accord Wagon

11. A Final Word There is no writing; just rewriting. John Updyke, novelist

12. Stud Fees Ad

13. The Accord wagon

14. A Potato ClockMetaphor

15. L.L. Bean - Parallelism

16. Summary: • Having completed this class and the assignments, you are able to: • Identify the key elements of good writing • Describe how a writer develops a style • Describe how a writer uses “particular” language • Follow the guidelines in writing check sheets