Forget perfection...it's only a draft

“If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”

Margaret Atwood

Over the past few months I've been working on a copywriting book about the 'why' and 'how' of writing copy for digital platforms. My aim is to share quick tips about what I've learned about writing copy professionally. I thought I share some of the points in a series of articles and posts here on LinkedIn. I hope this will help anyone who's working from home and might need a few quick copy wins over the next few weeks or months.

Starting out

If you're about to write anything for a personal or professional project but feel intimidated and unsure of where to start, here's a top tip that seems obvious but can be one of the hardest things to do.

FORGET PERFECTION...THIS IS ONLY YOUR 1st DRAFT!

WHY?

Because a blank page can be a very intimidating place for a writer…especially if you’re a perfectionist. Getting that first draft down will take the pressure of you to get it right first time and make it easier for you to start.

HOW?

1. Preparation dissolves writers block. Even if you write down the requirements of the piece, e.g. what points need to be mentioned, what is this piece about, is there anything that you need to call out?

2. Outline a basic structure e.g. the title/header, strap line, body copy, CTA. Then jot down the points that need to be highlighted in these sections. This will help to organise your thoughts and make sure you have all your requirements covered and work out the flow of the piece.

I personally find that starting with the body copy is the easiest thing to do. The rest of the copy will refer back to this.

Remember, perfection is the enemy of progress. So, take the pressure off and know that you’re going to go back and tweak and re-write your copy. This is just you’re easy, breezy initial stab at it…no pressure! When you have the initial messy first draft, you’ll have a great body of copy to tweak, edits, rearrange and add to.

Hope this helps to take the stress out of starting your piece.

Tomorrow I'll share a quick copy tip about the WHY and HOW of using better words.

Bye for now, Ciara :-)