Advice for Writers from Billy Joe

“Simplicity don’t need to be greased.”

Those are the words of country outlaw singer/songwriter Billy Joe Shaver.

It’s how he responded when hearing his songs described as simple and compelling.

Simplicity don’t need to be greased. 

Keep that quote in mind while working on your next assignment.

Shaver, the man who Willie Nelson believed "may be the best songwriter alive today," once offered some detail about his straightforward approach:

“I’d like to say as few words as I can and as plain as I can, uncomplicated as I can what I’m gonna say. And that way the dumb ones will get it, like me. And the smart ones will get it easy. So, I’ll keep it there. I know my limitations and I’m into simplicity.”

Critical Copywriter Questions

You've been recruited to write copy.

The first and most important question to answer is: Does this product or service really work and is there a demand for it from a definable target audience? 

Then there are some basic business questions you need answers to get the deal done and off to a good start:

1. Is the person recruiting me the person who makes the hiring decision?
   
   
2. Can they afford to pay me and are they willing to agree to my terms?
   
   
3. Is the scope of the project clear to both you and them?
   
   
4. Who has final sign off on the copy?
   
   
5. Can they provide adequate information about their target audience?
   
   
6. Can they substantiate their claims?
   
   
7. Can they articulate what they specifically want/need to happen once their target audience reads the copy?

Once it looks like the relationship can be successful, you must extract information so you can get started on the copy:

1. Who -- exactly and in detail -- is the target audience? 
   
   
2. What problem does the product/service solve for the target audience?
   
   
3. How is that problem painful to the target audience?
   
   
4. What does having the problem solved look like to the target audience?
   
   
5. What is currently stopping the target audience from solving the problem?
   
   
6. What proof is available to demonstrate the product/service solves that problem?
   
   
7. How is the product/service different from the competition?
   
   
8. Why did current customers choose this product/service?
   
   
9. What is the offer?
   
   
10. How does the offer solve the problem for the target audience?
    
    
11. What does the target audience's situation look like after activating the offer?
    
    
12. How does the target audience activate the offer?

Sure there might be some more questions to ask to drill down for detail. 

Where necessary, drill down on details to make sure you have a full answer to each question.

Keep in mind, if you want to be successful: 

• write for good products/services that are in demand
  
  
• make sure the business relationship starts on solid footing
  
  
• get the information you need to properly identify the target audience
  
  
• understand why the target audience wants/needs the product service
  
  
• have an attractive offer with clear direction on how to get that offer

Charlie Chaplin, Demosthenes, & David Ogilvy

 I’m glad you appreciate my writing, but …

In a discussion on classic film comedy, a critic said that when he watched Charlie Chaplin he thought to himself that he was watching a comic genius at work, but when he watched Laurel and Hardy, he laughed.

Which is reminiscent of a story from a few thousand years ago, that David Ogilvy referenced in a famous quote about advertising:

I do not regard advertising as entertainment or an art form,

but as a medium of information. When I write an advertisement,

I don't want you to tell me that you find it creative. I want you to

find it so interesting that you buy the product. When Aeschines spoke,

they said, "How well he speaks." But when Demosthenes spoke,

they said, "Let us march against Philip."

Don’t let your writing distract your audience. Keep them focused on the offer, why they want/need it, and how to access it.

Go for more Demosthenes and less Aeschines.

VERY

The word very as an intensifier makes your writing clunky. It’s a weak word without enough information to give your reader anything new.

“‘Very’ is the most useless word in the English language and can always come out.
More than useless, it is treacherous because it invariably weakens
what it is intended to strengthen.”

Those are the words of Florence King (American columnist, essayist, novelist). 

Mark Twain wasn't a fan either:

“Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very.’
Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.”

To help you replace very + weak adjectives with strong adjectives, check out LoseTheVery.com 

It will help you come up with alternatives, such as

freezing instead of very cold

delicious instead of very tasty

spotless instead of very clean

 Or, if you just want a quick reference, copy this list:

deafening instead of very noisy

brief instead of very short 

frequently instead of very often

ancient instead of very old

archaic instead of very old-fashioned

excruciating instead of very painful

ashen instead of very pale

destitute instead of very poor

wealthy instead of very rich

beautiful instead of very pretty

rapid instead of very quick

hushed instead of very quiet

sorrowful instead of very sad

petrified instead of very scared

chilling instead of very scary

grave instead of very serious

gleaming instead of very shiny

brief instead of very short

timid instead of very shy

basic instead of very simple

Caveat: Make sure the adjective you use to replace "very _______" is one that your audience is comfortable with.

 _____________

Clip: Robin Williams as John Keating in the Dead Poets Society

“So avoid using the word ‘very’ because it’s lazy. A man is not very tired, he is exhausted. Don’t use very sad, use morose. Language was invented for one reason, boys—to woo women—and, in that endeavor, laziness will not do. It also won’t do in your essays.” –  from the novelization of the movie by N.H. Kleinbaum