How to Write Specific CopyReturn from "How to Write Specific Copy" to ENGLISH TIPS page Return from "How to Write Specific Copy" to HOW TO WRITE ANYTHING home page Writing specific copy is the first and foremost rule of all copy writing. Generality is the enemy of good writing. Sparkle your work by getting as specific as you can. EXAMPLE: She bought food items. BETTER: She bought canned sardines, a pound of aged Swiss cheese, three 75-watt bulbs, and the latest issue of Time magazine with Bill Gate’s face on the cover. EXAMPLE: The train stopped in a lot of cities before reaching New York City. BETTER: The train stopped in Richmond, Washington D.C., Baltimore and Wilmington before reaching New York City. EXAMPLE: The smell of flowers was intoxicating. BETTER: The smell of hyacinths, yellow roses and cascading rows of purple wisteria was intoxicating. EXAMPLE: He had a long rap sheet. BETTER: He was arrested in the past for grand larceny, stealing chemicals from the university’s biochemistry lab, holding up a 63 year old pediatrician at gun point, selling crack cocaine, and burning down the City Hall on a cold night in october ‘96. EXAMPLE: She is a widely-published author. BETTER: To this date, she has published three cookbooks, ninety four articles in magazines like Vogue, Cosmopolitan and Life, sold two feature screenplays to Warner Brothers, and written countless op-ed pieces for the New York Times and the Washington Post. EXAMPLE: He was rocked by mixed and contradictory emotions throughout the day. BETTER: He was assailed by feelings of guilt and contrition; a sense of ennui and despair; all of which were conquered at the end of the day and reduced to a mere footnote by his burning belief in his own invincibility and intellectual superiority. EXAMPLE: She had car problem. BETTER: Her starter groaned aloud when she turned the ignition key. In a split second the car was filled with a blackish smoke that smelled like burnt rubber. Return from "How to Write Specific Copy" to HOW TO WRITE ANYTHING home page (Excerpted from 101 Ways to Power-Up Your Writing) Have a Great Tip, Photo or Comment About This Topic?Do you have a great tip or photo about this? Something that you believe we should read or see? Contribute and share it today! |