It’s an odd phenomena, but the more I write, the harder it gets. It’s not that the words don’t come, it’s that they come out the same.

While some repetition is expected — because advertising, like any kind of writing, has its own set language — too much of the same thing means your writing becomes dull and ignorable.

I read a lot of advertising books in search of good copy, like Luke Sullivan’s Hey Whipple Squeeze This, and I regularly peruse the advertising annuals, but I also read a lot of other kinds of writing to keep myself from falling into this pit of sameness.

One of my favorite writers to read is Richard Brautigan. He is best known for Trout Fishing In America, which was a seminal book from the 60’s, but he also has an admirable body of other work, including novels and short stories, that I encourage you to seek out.

For inspiration I usually pick up a collection of his short stories, like Revenge of the Lawn, and open to any page. There’s a love of language in his writing, and a decidedly different way of seeing and describing things. Here are a few samples:

My grandmother, in her own way, shines like a beacon down the stormy American past.

I think she uses this story as a kind of Christopher Columbus door to discovery of her father when he was a child.

It’s time for her to put her clothes on and it’s so beautiful when she does it. Her body slowly disappears and comes out quite nicely all in clothes.

To write like this means you’ve given yourself permission to be free with your thoughts and your words. And while it may not seem right for advertising copy, who’s to say it’s wrong?

Steven Stark is a writer and creative director with a serious book jones. You can see his work and read some of his other musings here.

Article Tags: Copywriting | Hey Whipple Squeeze This | Luke Sullivan | Revenge of the Lawn | Richard Brautigan | Steven Stark | Trout Fishing in America
Filed under: Advertising, Copywriting, Steven Stark