The dream of speed — that is, productivity — that is, of getting more things done in a day — is at conflict with great writing.
It is at conflict with creativity.
The express purpose is not to be prolific, although that is not a bad thing. The express purpose is to be clear. Concise. And compelling.
Take the effort behind creating microcopy. You might have 50 pieces of micro copy to write. In sum you might have 50 hours of work ahead of you: the initial draft, the revision, and the testing of each piece. An hour each.
Seem excessive? That’s the price for clarity and brevity.
Or take the writing of fascination bullets. On one hand, says Makepeace, the astonishing tips are easy to write. Writing the common-sense tips, on the other hand, is “an art form demanding a great eye, well-developed skill, and tremendous creativity.”
Mel Martin, a legendary fascination writer, had the eye, skill, and creativity to write the best ones. Yet he agonized for months over a single sales letter.
That’s the price for persuasion.
There are places to write fast … your rough draft, repurposed content, and social media being three of them. Emails yet another. Mass market books, yet another. All largely commodities. Perfect for speed.
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