| The best writing advice I ever got was from a | | | | while I was cooking up some great ideas, I was |
| man named Ron. Real guy. Real name. Real | | | | so eager to show them, my ideas weren't 'done |
| serious. | | | | yet.' |
| I was a young advertising pup in Los Angeles, | | | | So, after another A minus effort on my part, |
| fresh off of having done VERY well at the | | | | Ron pulled me aside after a meeting and said... |
| advertising award show for new creatives. So | | | | "Next time, let's look at it in the morning." |
| any writing advice, let alone the best writing | | | | What? Huh? Ron, are you okay? I want to show |
| advice should have been the first thing I relied on. | | | | you these treasures NOW. Not tomorrow. I want |
| But it wasn't. (Young pup=thick headed.) | | | | you to see them in all their glory right this second. |
| Anyway, at my first copywriting job, people could | | | | What Ron knew, and I didn't at the time was that |
| EASILY see my incredible enthusiasm for my | | | | some writers need to give themselves time to |
| work when I presented. They instantly got a | | | | live with their ideas before they present |
| sense of how passionate I was about crafting my | | | | them...especially if they have the luxury of time. |
| words and my copy. | | | | What I came to discover was that if I waited one |
| I was the first person to arrive at the agency in | | | | night before presenting I would make dramatic |
| the mornings and among the last to leave in the | | | | IMPROVEMENTS to my work that was not being |
| evenings. | | | | made when I was rushing. |
| I worked weekends as if they were just another | | | | Does this seem like simple common sense? Sure. |
| day. I LOVED everything about it. But my | | | | But do you do it? |
| associates could also see something ELSE. | | | | I 100% GUARANTEE you that if you hold your |
| Something I couldn't see. | | | | articles back just one day and sleep on it just one |
| It became quite clear that as good as my writing | | | | extra night and allow your mind to think about |
| was... it felt 'rushed.' Yes, they agreed that it was | | | | your article even while you don't even know it is, |
| solid. But to a person, they all felt that it had not | | | | you WILL make changes the next morning that |
| been taken to that last tiny degree. And great | | | | will make your articles better. Sometimes much |
| advertising copy has to be taken that far. | | | | better. |
| Looking back, I know that the writing felt rushed, | | | | To this day, I still think that Ron's advice was the |
| because I rushed. Literally. And not by anyone | | | | best writing advice I've ever gotten. |
| else but ME. You see all of my passion and my | | | | And to this day, I will wait just one extra night |
| verve was causing me to try and show my work | | | | before sending in my articles. |
| BEFORE it should have been shown. In essence, | | | | This one, for instance, was written yesterday. |