I find that creating really compelling business and emotionally persuasive writing requires me to have a similar approach to my writing as my friend who is a fantastic graphic artist has to creating an evocative new brand image. She paints beautiful works of art in her spare time, which feeds her creative ideas for generating striking branding collateral. In order to be insightful in my business and nonprofit writing, I write fiction stories, poems and – right now – I am writing a screenplay. It gets those creative juices moving in the right direction.
I learned a long time ago that writing is like painting a canvas, creating a symphony or choreographing a dance. There are requisites that we must all attend to in order to be expansive and deep – no matter what we create. I would never suggest that writing a screenplay is more important than writing a really compelling sales letter. I am a writer and I always hope that the words I write will evoke emotion, ideas, thought and action. That is what matters to me, not the format I am writing in. I put the same energy and thoughtfulness into a blog post as I do a poem – because I am attached to the outcome. I want my client to call me and say, “Wow! That blog post got thousands of hits and shares and people contacted us wanting to know more!” – just like I want to write a poem that makes someone comment with, “Wow! That poem really touched me!”
Have you ever read something that was technically correct but didn’t move you? Of course you have. We’re surrounded by emotionless words in the advertising, business reports, marketing emails, proposals and web content we’re exposed to every day. It’s awful. So, we just read over it and move on. But every now and then something grabs us and pulls us in. It sparks an interest. It makes us think. It creates an image in our minds. Sometimes it even makes us take action. That’s powerful!
Words and images are powerful when they are honest – which is probably why I am a writer and photographer. Not because I seek power, but because I seek to move people with words and images. I want you to feel something when you read my words or view my photos. How do you see it? Feel it?
Here’s a photo I shot recently. Tell me what it makes you feel. What do you see? What thoughts does it conjure up for you? Write a poem about it if you like. Whatever you share is yours and yours alone, with my gratitude.
Thank you in advance for sharing!
