How Writing Radio Can Help You Become a Better Writer
Knowing how to write, and write well, is a skill that will come
in handy in all sorts of situations. And if you combine good
writing skills with the persuasive selling tactics found in,
say, copywriting, you'll be that much more ahead of your
competition. Of all the different types of writing I've done in my life (and
believe me, I've tried practically all of them) writing radio has
made one of the bigger impacts on my writing style. Below are three ways writing radio can help strengthen your
writing style. (Oh, and these tips will also help you write
better radio copy too.) Follow the rules. Sometimes rules are good. Especially
rules that force you to write a certain way. (Think poetry --
mastering those rules can have an amazing effect on your
writing style.) Rules require you to slow down and think, to
analyze your word, sentence, grammar, punctuation, etc.,
choices. And that can be very beneficial to your development
as a writer.Radio is short. You have to write something that fits into a
30- or 60-second slot. Not a lot of time or a lot of words. In
that 30 or 60 seconds, you need to capture the listener's
attention, explain why they should be interested in buying
what you're selling, then let them know what you'd like their
next step to be. Oh, and did I mention you need to have the
business name in there at least twice and probably a tag
line as well? And don't forget about music. Or sound effects. Now the beauty of this is once you've mastered radio rules,
you can apply it to all sorts of things. A 30-second pitch for
your business you can tell people at networking events. A
15-second introduction before a speech. A quick product
spiel for your voice mail. A 15-second pitch for your novel to
spit out at agents and editors at writers' conferences. The
possibilities are endless. Forces you to write tight. Remember, radio is short. Yet,
there's still a lot you have to shove into it. So what's the
solution? Absolutely no extra words allowed.Be brutal. Cut out anything you don't need. In fact, radio is
where I first learned to start cutting "that" out. Most "thats"
you don't need, and nothing shows you this like radio. Here's how I write radio. I start with a first draft. I read it over.
I think it's pretty good -- I have all the salient points in there. I
read it out loud. Now the fun begins. Usually it's too long. You see, I time myself reading. So I
have to start chopping words. When you have to make a script fit into a certain time frame,
it's amazing how many words you suddenly discover can be
deleted. Or replaced with simpler, shorter words. Or how
many sentences can be trimmed. Or phrases made more
concise. As you can imagine, writing radio has really honed my
editing skills. Writing for the ear. Writing for the ear is different than
writing for the eye. The eye is far more forgiving. Oh that
sentence is a bit too long, but it's okay. Hmm, yes I do see
that awkward phrase, but I'm fine with it.Not the ear. The ear is brutal. It's like one of those
headmasters from a Dickens' novel, standing in front of the
classroom with a stick and banging it every time a student
stutters on an answer. The ear catches everything -- sentences that are too long
and don't allow you to take a breath; sentences that don't
flow properly; long, complicated five-dollar words that twist
the tongue in a knot and much, much more. Focus on writing shorter sentences. Simpler sentences.
Vary your sentences. Use simple words. And that's just plain good old writing advice no matter what
you happen to be writing. Creativity Exercises -- Write a Radio Ad Now it's your turn. Time to sit down and write a radio ad. First, choose something you want the ad to be about. Maybe
one of your products or services. But choose only one. More
than one and you're just asking for trouble. (Rule of thumb --
one message per ad. No more. Otherwise you run the risk
of losing your target market. Pick one message and make it
very simple and very clear.) Now do what I do. Write the ad. Start by keeping it under a
general word count -- 100 words for a 30-second ad and
190 words for a 60-second spot. Finished your first draft? Great. Now read it. And time
yourself. (Those clocks on the computer desktop are great
for this.) What, you went over your limit? Better start cutting. See how
many words you can take out and sentences you can
tighten. Or replace words and phrases with something
shorter. Now read it again. Still too long? Or maybe now it's too
awkward. See previous paragraph. Keep repeating until you
end up with something that sounds smooth and fits in the
allotted time. Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and
Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She
offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine
their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting
principles to become more successful at attracting new
clients, selling products and services and boosting
business. She can be reached at http://www.writingusa.com
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