1. The Lazy Writer?
Guilty as charged! That is, for being one of those “Lazy-Creative-Types”! This used to be a stigma for
me.....or, just a way of picking-up chicks, “Oh, what a man who says no to The Man! He's his own
man on his own terms!”
This was until I learned a technique that didn't fit either cliché of what a freelancer or copywriter can
be. It became an issue of working smarter rather than harder. What I learned was “The Pareto
Principle”, or the 80/20 rule.
I'll give some guidelines, tips and sources a writer can use to attain leverage, while minimizing burnout
and writer's block. And, I will show you how to make content more readable the first time, so there's
no unnecessary editing or backtracking.
First, let's begin with a basic definition of the 80/20 rule, then follow with two more sub-principles:
Basically, 80% of a freelancer's work should be done in 20% of his or her time. Not going 50-50,
60/40, or giving it one 110%, as in the Old College Try! The freelancer wants freedom to move on to
the next project quickly.
The Second aspect is this.....and, it's very simple.....it's ok to reflect on your work sometimes! Wait for
the inspiration! In this way, a writer can have a preformed internal script, which can be banged-out
with minimal time and effort. Think of it almost as nap time in kindergarten. Often ideas and concepts
need space to come out on the screen. I recommend that paid writers and marketers have a number of
projects in the pipeline, in order not to lose valuable clients over this.
The last principle I will leave you with is the art of delegation. Hire an admin or a virtual assistant to
do the R&D for you! After all, Copywriting can be an art, and even Leonardo had assistants.....not the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, by the way.......oh, never mind! Tim Ferris' book, The Four Hour Work
Week, recommends a very cost-efficient company that hires out virtual assistants to businesses and
freelancers. (http://www.brickworkindia.com/executive-assistance/)
Segueing into readability. I say, speak to the reader, as you would your friend! Or, just someone
you're friendly with. My training in door-to-door sales has benefited me in this.....but, no one truly
feels self-conscious with a friend – so, why be a self-conscious writer with a blank page?!
Keep it simple! There's the phrase, Keep it Simple, Stupid! For the purpose of this, we're gonna say,
Keep it Simple, Simon, as in the children's game, hence readability and comprehension. On a
foundation of simplicity, build with repetitive words and parallelism. Again, this is a friendly
conversation and not a lecture!
With practice, the production and editing process will only be for typos, not re-writes. In this way, the
lazy writer comes out on top!
©Independence Copywriting