MICROSKIRTS
Ms
Natural anti ageing product
Effortless Method To Get Slim&Trim Body
Rapid weight loss Program Review
Now Easy Get Rid of Wrinkles
1405
viewsbeing a career day speaker part 2: forget everything you learned in creative writing
By Kittyboy, Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 5 commentsI do realize that when you write a blog post that includes the phrase (part 1), it is supposed to be followed by (at minimum) a "part 2." So here it is...
I spoke to three groups of high school sophomores who signed-up to hear me talk about a career in "communications." I'm honestly not sure what most of them thought that meant, but here's what I told them it meant:
Only about 1% of the paid assignments I receive call for any "creative writing." In fact, knowing how to write a great term paper is much more useful than being able to write a tear-inducing sonnet or wickedly clever short story. Why? Because as a corporate copywriter what you'll find is that most of your clients care nothing about your "voice." That's right -- "voice" -- that magical element that all creative writing teachers try to bring out in students is absolutely unnecessary when you are writing website copy for The Home Depot or an instructional manual for The Coca-Cola Company.
They don't want you to sound like you that want you to sound like them.
You are just one person out of hundreds who are creating content (i.e. communications) for that company and it all needs to sound like it came from a single source.
So if you have a decent grasp of grammar, can meet deadlines, and are good at following a style that's already been established you can have a career in communications!
I'm taking bets on whether they invite me back next year.
Actually, my talk included more than this but that was pretty much the highlight (or lowlight depending on how you look at it). See... I never actually thought about my career this way before. It wasn't until the night prior to the talk, when I was putting notes down, that it occurred to me that I make almost zero use of my creative writing skills (for money). To be honest, I'm not bemoaning this -- I do well and have a lot of big clients. Sure, I always dreamed of being a great novelist, but now that seems like a bittersweet accomplishment -- with the way advances, sales and book tours have diminished.
So, I'm content for now to be one of them and to use outlets like this blog to SCREAM AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS... CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
With my dear friend Hollis Gillespie (left) in Los Angeles in 2008. She was there to attend Book Expo America (BEA) to promote her third book (released by Skirt! press) and I was there as her entourage (hey, nothing wrong with being a coattail rider!). As opposed to my life as a corporate communications consultant, Hollis is someone who has the exact opposite type of writing career -- she is successful because of her "voice." And dang it is strong!
********
For more pithy patter, connect to me on Twitter (http://twitter.com/lamousin) or Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/lamousin)
Bookmark/Search this post with:
5 Comments
At least you got to talk to
At least you got to talk to high school students who are slightly interested in what you're saying. I spoke to middle school students last year about what I do and they couldn't have been more bored. They got excited when I let them start talking about what's going on in their lives. Go figure!
They were only interested
They were only interested when one of the students asked, "What is the most interesting thing that you've gotten to do?" So I told them about an assignment to write a travel piece on a spa in Santa Fe. The hotel put me in the best suite, gave me a huge gift basket (complete with wine), I had an open tab at the hotel's swanky restaurant, and could select any spa services that I wanted. What I didn't tell them is that I got paid ZERO by the publication. The vacation (and byline) was my payment. The life of a writer... :-)
I've always wondered about
I've always wondered about this- I pursued copywriting for a while, without really knowing what it was. (As a high schooler, I would have been very interested in your career day speech, and it would have served me well! - Never underestimate the impact that you have on people!) I still do some freelance romance copywriting, but I've kind of laid back on that ambition to pursue creative writing more seriously.
It is exciting, as a writer, to get paid for anything that you write, though, agreed?
I'm glad that you still write creatively- even if it's "just" through this blog. Nothing can replace your voice! :)
Sara -- what is "freelance
Sara -- what is "freelance romance copywriting" -- that sounds incredibly interesting. And yes, being paid is rewarding, but not fulfilling -- if that makes sense.
I think having a "career day" for adults is a great idea. I know that there are orgs that coordinate business/industry gatherings, but the speakers are often trying to pitch you something. I would love to attend a purely informational event with speakers from different careers.
Wish Skirt! would organize something like that (hint * hint)
;-)
"freelance romance
"freelance romance copywriting" is writing Romance Copy, freelance-ly :)
My brother-in-law is the art director for a Marketing Services company in FL, and hires me on a freelance basis to write copy for him. Primarily, I've written romance copy, meaning the more creative kind of copywriting, where you are "wooing" the reader with lots of adjectives and feel-good words. You can check out some examples on my website: coinflipcreative.com (Coin Flip Creative is my copywriting firm, although it's currently on hold.) I thought that I wanted to start writing copy on a grander scale, but some things happened, and I'm just not sure that it's for me. So, for now, I still take the sporadic copywriting jobs that I get, but I'm not pursuing it. I really feel pulled toward the creative side of writing- it sounds flaky, but I want to write stories!
Participate More