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Yarn a Tale to Grow Flow

Have a Ball with Yarn as Prompt

Yarn is a good prompt for writing.
Squeeze a ball of yarn. It’s soft and fluffy to the touch. What metaphors or images arise from the sight or touch of the yarn?

Have yarn, will create! Using this spun thread to create connections is nothing new. The word itself has a secondary meaning, which is to spin a tall-tale, fable, or myth. There are some good reasons for this connection. First, yarns squeeze metaphors to create literary impact. Second, creatives can literally juggle  balls of yarn to consider how a plot can be twisted and turned to add drama. Finally, finger-crocheting can help knit together a dialogue or setting. Let’s look at yarn’s versatility as a writer’s tool below.

Squeeze Out Metaphor

Rubber stress balls work to help anxiety-filled writers and artists, but those made from yarn are better. Soft, fluffy, and light, they help us to squeeze metaphors while literally clamping down on them. Think about it. Maybe the logger who created the Paul Bunyan folklore had access to yarn balls while spinning tales of Paul and his blue ox named, Babe? Not familiar with the American tale? The city of Bemoiji, Minnesota’s website has detailed storylines for Paul and Babe’s travels. See more here: https://wewriteitright.com/sow-flow-visit-antique-shop/

Juggle ideas around while rotating these light-as-air balls to loosen up a plot.

Juggle Ideas Around with Yarn Balls

Perhaps juggling can loosen up a stuck plot. Without too much scientific thinking here, simply juggle three balls of yarn. Stand or sit. It doesn’t make a difference. Focus on the act of juggling the balls for five to 10 minutes, then write a journal entry about the current piece. See what types of connections altered or sprung up from the simple act of juggling. Need a refresher on how to juggle? Look here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNigMfLNhpg

Finger Crochet to Knit a Tale

Want to bring a scene or a dialogue alive? Try finger crocheting some yarn at the desk. This works better seated than standing. Again, do not think too much about the creative piece. Think summer camp or study hall in middle school. Simply focus energy on doing the loops in finger crocheting for about 10 minutes. The process is what matters here, so don’t sweat the way the long link looks. Then, again, write a journal entry to note any new sensory images to add to a scene or dialogue.

Finger crochet for dialogue or scene development.

Your Turn

Creating space to allow images to pop up is important for writers and artists to yarn their tales. Frist, try to squeeze metaphors to enhance the story. Next, mix things up in a plot after juggling. Finally, use finger crocheting to knit together a scene or a dialogue. Choose any of these or all three to keep your story skills fluid.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Day After Twelfth Night Stirs Flow

Flow Arrives the Morning After Twelfth Night

Red wreath brings glee.
A red berry wreath remind bears glad tidings beyond Twelfth Night.

Entering into life beyond The Twelfth Day of Christmas challenges even the most cheerful among us.  People don’t get too excited about the thirteenth day of Christmas now, do they? Yet flow arrives on the heels of such a day. Honestly, it is important to know where to look. My family packed up Christmas after attending an Epiphany service. And, I’m not going to lie, it felt a little sad. Then, I realized what was needed to keep the spirit of the holidays going into at least next month. What was it? A simple red berry wreath.

Flow Found in Red Berry

A wreath is a traditional sign to welcome those entering a home. This red berry wreath is hung on a pantry door in my kitchen for a few reasons. First, it recalls winter’s joyful landscapes. Where I live it is in the 70s during the day and down in the 40s at night.  So, the symbolism of a white door behind the red berries reminds me of the Snow Belt where I grew up. Next, it winds around on itself as a sign of infinity. Glad tidings, I am reminded, are reason for an additional smile. And, another. Finally, stir those images around to find a satisfying sense of flow to extend the joy of Twelfth Night into today –  and beyond.

Other Places to Find Flow Beyond Twelfth Night

Easily find flow and where it grows through the five senses. First, get out a journal. Next, walk around the office or house and jot down anything that smells, sounds, tastes, feels, or looks like an extension of the holiday. For example, note that the red earthen wear bowl can hold fruit such as apples on the counter. Perhaps a dash a cinnamon in coffee or on cocoa brings a jolt of joy. Finally, take this listing of sense-related phrases and quickly write a reflection on Christmas joys. No need to share it – unless that, too, brings joy.

Here’s to growing your flow,

Marisa

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Close Observation Creates Better Copy and Content Writing

Take These Three Passes When Observing Subject Matter

We’ve all seen cats observing their vistas. Sitting in windows, their tails twitch with excitement. We, too, can easily write better copy and content by looking at subjects with intense curiosity. Three views we can take on a subject include its physical appearance, its social impact, and its holistic application.

Physical Appearance Drives Most Copy

Want better copy and content writing experiences? Opt for close oberservation.
Close observation of the physical, social, and holistic applications of writing.

As the old adage goes, “you can’t tell a book by its cover.” Yet, much of the writing we create for copy and content is heavy on visual appeal. So if we are already transfixed on how a product or a service appears, then how can we look more closely at it? What we are looking for are the details of the product or service that make it unique or valuable to the consumer.

For example, does a nozzle on a garden hose have new settings for water distribution not found on competitors’ hoses? Or, does a restaurant offering freshly made juice stand apart by using only sustainably produced serving dishes and cutlery? Specific features make a subject stand out from the competition. Beyond the cover or visual aspects are positive societal impacts to entice customers, too.

Describing How a Product Helps Consumers Connect with Others

Enabling consumers to connect with others in a product or service description is another way to add value to a copy and content writing. Going back to the previous example of the hose, a product or service can  appeal to people when they can use it to help others. A long-range flow might help one neighbor water an elderly neighbor’s flowers. Relationship building among potential customers can easily move from copy writing into social media, which are enhanced with photography and video.

Holistic Approach to Subject Observation

The added-value of a holistic observation of a product or service creates brand loyalty. If a customer experiences satisfaction, then he or she is more likely to be a repeat customer. For example, if a particular demographic consists of environmentalists, then they may be more likely to feel good about eating at a restaurant that serves biodegradable service wear. The menu selections may further resonate with such consumers if it contains organic, locally sourced produce and animal products. The restaurant itself may resonate with consumers who prefer a small business over a nationally known eatery. These personal sorts of considerations are viewed as holistic benefits to a product or service.

Observations Increases Value of Subject Matter

Creating catchy copy and content writing benefits from close observation. The physical description brings a subject to life. The social description adds the appeal of altruism to the subject. Finally, the holistic description encourages consumers to relate their personal beliefs to an item’s identity. They are the easiest way to produce thoughtful and enticing wording for any number of products and services.

 

 

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Basics Back Good Copy and Content Writing

Here’s the Scoop on Keeping Content Fresh

Want to keep copy and content wiring fresh? Here’s the scoop: go back to the basics for clear writing.

Great copy and content writing are expensive ways to promote products and services. The cost is factored by considering the assignment’s concept, draft, editing, and delivery. Additionally, the quality of writing of professional writers is influenced by many things, including: Professional background; Advanced degrees and continuing education;  And, the variety of lifestyle experiences that contribute to overall knowledge. More importantly, great writing results from a keen appreciation for the basics in grammar and punctuation. Knowing when to break the rules, and when to stick with them, creates memorable campaigns. Why are these qualifications so important?

Because, every word counts.

Some Suggestions for Timely Text

If you are creating your own copy or content writing, you will want to be scrupulous about your posts, blogs, and email writing, too. It lends to an overall appearance of excellent work. Moreover, this gives credibility to professionalism. To gain potential clients’ trust, use a few tried-and-true rules:

  1. Write in the active voice. The use of passive construction takes more words and loses energy.
  2. Choose precise wording. This is sort of important to get the point across.
  3. Add interest with shorter sentences mixed with longer ones. It matters. The mix of the two makes for more pleasurable reading.
  4. Avoid excessive punctuation!!! THE SAME GOES FOR WRITING IN ALL CAPS. Or. Writing. One. Word. Sentences. Or. Paragraphs. Just say, “No!”
  5. Use shorter words for clarity. The utilization of longer forms of verbiage increases loquacity at the expense of clarification of textual references.
  6. Impress with wording. Make it sound positive, vibrant, and motivating. Irritating, overbearing, and angry writing is often counterproductive and prevents customers from desiring a product or service. Remember, mood matters.
  7. Prevent writing from sounding too hip, overly chic, or extensively exotic for the product or service being sold. Over-exaggeration does not build trust.

Finally, basics in brevity, clarity, and mood help to create great copy and content writing. Follow the above suggestions to write your own work. Or, contact us at info@wewriteitright.com to help you create memorable product and service descriptions to promote your business with flair.

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Founding Father on Productivity: Write – Or Not

Deciding to Write – Or Outsource Communications – Key to Productivity

Ben Franklin knew a thing or two about productivity and time management. He created time management ideals by observing that one should not “waste time, for it is the stuff that life is made of.” And, too, he argued that people should “either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” Which brings us to the concept of doing one’s own copy and content writing or outsourcing communications to someone else. What is your time worth? And, are you applying it well?

Write - Or Not
Considering productivity? Do a Ben Franklin: “Write something worth reading or do something worth writing.”

The Stuff Life Is Made Of

Being productive is all about how time is spent. Is writing something you enjoy doing? Do you wish to create your own web content, your own sales ads, your own elevator pitch? Or are there other more pressing matters in your day-to-day business dealings, which you could spend energy on more productively? When I was growing up my father used to say to me, “Do what you do best and hire others to do what they do best.” Seems like something Ben would agree with, too.

Write Something Worth Reading

What if you do want to create your own work and it just doesn’t seem to flow? Does it have great SEO? Or, what if you like the idea of writing your own content. You end up talking about it all of the time over coffee with friends, but then never get around to keying it? The resistance can make getting the ideas down seem like a huge chore. The cliché, “making a mountain over a mole hill” rings true here. Procrastination can cause the simplest task to seem like a daunting endeavor.

Do Something Worth Writing

There is a middle ground here. You can provide an outsourced writer or editor a greater amount of detail about the project to make the writing streamlined. The document you assist in creating would be easier for a contractor to complete that way.

Turning the Key

Whether you write your own text, let a professional writer handle it, or work collaboratively with a professional writer, you want results. You can turn the key on to greater productivity when deciding which method would work best for you.