One of the fallacies about writers is that we can only write well in a single style or genre.  This is promoted indirectly by employers who are looking for a certain type or writer, whether it be technical writer, public relations writer, marketing writer or proposal writer.  These categories refer only to the applicable strategy, and those are relatively easy to pick up in most cases.  Someone with my level of experience has no difficulty switching among the various strategies and writing types, because I’ve done virtually all of them.  Fiction has been a notable exception up until now though.

The decision to expand into fiction writing is really an extension of other interests.  This first effort will be for a children’s audience in the seven to 12 age group.  It will be a metaphorical fantasy with applicable lessons in real life.  Think of it as a cross between Harry Potter and Aesop’s Fables.

Most fiction writing is based upon the classic three-act play in which the protagonist or hero is presented with a problem in the first act and decides upon a course of action.  The reader then follows the protagonist as his plan unfolds with its inherent complications and consequences.  In the middle of the second act, the action reaches a climax.  The protagonist’s choices at this point will result in the resolution in the third and final act.

The above description is easy enough to understand, but what makes fiction slightly more challenging is the variety of subplots.  Each major character is a potential opportunity to develop a subplot with it’s own dramatic arc that intersects the main plot.  However, the third act is when all plots have to be satisfactorily resolved, and ideally, all the plot types come together with a coherent and satisfying conclusion.

The most interesting part of this exercise is the similarity it has with public relations work.  In public relations writing, we’re managing a storyline in real time, but the characters and challenges are quite real.  Figuring out when and where the climax points are likely to be is much more difficult and less predictable in public relations work, although most of the time, I’m quite accurate.  One of the benefits of having covered court trials as a journalist for more than 20 years is a finely honed sense of when the important events are going to happen.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be writing a contrast/comparison piece about managing a storyline in real life and one in fiction.  I promise it will be interesting and informative.  It should be finished before I publish the next edition of e-newsletter, Marcomm Roundup. 

Meanwhile, I’m about 6,300 words into the fiction piece that will probably weigh in at about 9,000 words or so.  From there, I’ll write a book proposal and start pitching it to publishers.  Wish me luck.

Business technical writing is a growing field these days, because the Internet has made experts of anyone with a computer.  Complicated aspects of a product or service that could have been avoided in promotional material only a few years ago almost have to be explained now, because the competition is doing so.  

Freelance technical writers have to consider three aspects of a technical writing job.  As always, accurate audience evaluation is required to make proper use of the following thee considerations:

1. What the audience already knows - or thinks they know.  The latter is a very important distinction.
2. What the audience requires to comprehend the material or make a favorable decision.
3. The lowest reading and comprehension level of audience members.  This is sometimes known as the “lowest common denominator.”

Technical communication is everywhere today, but so much of it is substandard because the three above factors aren’t considered.  The most blatant examples include the documentation that comes with computer software and hardware.  An entire segment of publishing is dedicated to explaining software that developers never bothered to do well.  Help centers would likely cut their call volume by 30 percent or more if the computer manufacturer invested in professional technical writers.

To address what the audience already knows, a review of the Internet is a good place to start.  Data from call centers or other customer feedback is another good source for valid information.  Educational background is another important consideration.

I once wrote materials for the Congress of Neurological Surgeons with regard to the latest neurosurgical research.  When writing to the press, it was a considerably more difficult task than writing to other neurosurgeons.  In the case of the former audience, it was fair to assume the worst case was someone who didn’t know much about neurosurgery, but at least had some basic familiarity with medicine in general.  The worst case for the latter audience was likely a resident who may or may not have had some neurosurgery exposure, but knew enough about the Latin base of medical terms to decipher all but the most specialized terminology.

Assessing what the audience needs to know in order to understand the material or make a favorable decision is where a real professional makes a big difference.  Writing technical documentation requires that no element is left out or assumed as being understood.  Every step in the process or the underlying conceptual framework must be included. 

I’ve noted computer hardware documentation that began the explanation of a process with a sentence such as, “Boot the computer with the Windows OS disk.”  That sentence alone is probably responsible for at least a million help desk calls.  The word “boot” is not universally understood.  “Windows OS disk” was not the actual label on the disk.  The writer also didn’t consider that some people in the audience don’t know how to open the CD drive.  The sentence was a disaster and wasn’t written by a professional writer.  It probably cost the company millions of dollars.

The issue of the lowest common denominator determines both how detailed the writing must be and the complexity of the vocabulary.  Any three-syllable words should be reviewed carefully unless the audience is absolutely known to be particularly well educated.  Even words such as “ebony” should be avoided in most cases.  If it’s black, say it’s black unless you’re completely sure the word is understood.

Contract technical writers need not understand everything possible about a specific industry.  In fact, sometimes a highly refined knowledge of a topic or industry can work against a technical writing consultant, because it leads to assumptions.  The most important thing a professional technical writer has to understand is human nature.  The three writing considerations listed above will go a long way to keep the technical writer on track.

Integrated strategic marketing is by far the most effective marketing methodology available today.  While most people can discuss the matter in theory, it’s an entirely different thing to implement the concept as effectively as companies such as QVC have managed to do.

Not every company requires every step of the strategic marketing approach, however every company must use the same disciplined and methodical tactics in order to succeed.  Marketing communications is an orderly process in which the consumer is repeatedly imbued with a consistent set of value statements.

I’ve written a white paper about the most important steps to consider when embarking on an integrated strategic marketing effort.  Download the paper here.  I welcome questions and comments.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an exceptionally important aspect of websites these days, but all too often it’s not done well.  Too much emphasis on Google AdWords is common and the resulting key phrases are frequently so generic that they do little to distinguish your website from millions of others. 

I’ve recently acquired search engine optimization software that finds key words and phrases from a variety of sources and ranks them according the number of sites already indexed for the words in addition to other measures.  The result is a set of expressions that attract the maximum number of visitors by exploiting weaknesses in the competition. 

For example, a financial planning firm must have the expression “financial planner” on their website, but thousands upon thousands of other sites are already indexed for the term which means ranking will suffer.  While it’s true that millions of people may use the phrase in their searches, the sheer number of other sites citing the term makes the likelihood of a strong ranking almost non-existent.  A high number of searches doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a good term to use.

By comparison, a quick analysis using my SEO tool indicates that few sites are indexed for the words “personal financial advisor.”  It’s equally true that many fewer searches are done for the expression, averaging about 1,300 for the last month locally, but the weakness of the competition means the site will rank quite high for the expression.  It’s better to get a bigger piece of a small pie than no piece of a very large pie.

By repeating this process with several different key phrases and drilling further down, the pie pieces add up, and traffic builds rapidly.  While SEO software is a great aid, knowing how to SEO is even more important.  Search engine optimization techniques make the most of the resulting data.

Additionally, the tool gives several measures to provide a composite overview of a word or phrase’s value.  It scans the web to see how many backlinks exist for the term, which is another dimension of competition.  It also guages the online commercial intent of the user - his or her willingness to buy.  The result is a far more accurate analysis that can be used to strategically place your website in front of the most important web traffic.

Sales and marketing strategy are imperative assets on the Internet.  As important as it is to get the proper keywords and phrases to a website writer, an integrated marketing communication strategy demands that the keyword expressions also fit into the larger messaging of the organization. 

Marketing and branding depend upon consistency, so whenever doing this type of work for your own website, it’s probably best to involve a marketing communications expert to ensure everything works together for maximum benefit.  SEO positioning gained at the expense of the overall brand is not beneficial for the long-term.

In a rare misstep, the Obama communications team declared open warfare with news giant Fox on October 11.  The move had little benefit for the White House and plenty of downside.

Calling the Fox network ” … either the research arm or communications arm of the Republican party,” may have some merit and garner support in the Democratic Party, but it’s the type of encompassing statement that can be easily undermined.  Worst of all, the move to exclude Fox from major communications efforts severely harms the president’s carefully crafted brand of openness, inclusion and dialogue. 

It’s a classic case of scoring short-term public relations points at the expense of well-established and successful marketing.

First, let’s examine the universal nature of the charge that Fox News is a puppet of the Republicans.  This statement is far too general and is now being picked apart.  While it’s fair game to specifically name opinion shows like the Hannity’s America or the Glen Beck show, it’s a mistake to apply the label globally, because Fox will and is finding it easy to refute with many examples of fair reporting.  The statement essentially undermines itself and all who support it. 

The dramatic departure from the administration’s positioning as being open-minded and inclusive has both direct and indirect impact.  The immediate contradiction with previous rhetoric is obvious, but the statement also implies that the administration won’t talk to republican leadership either. 

After all, if the administration doesn’t include the communications arm of the GOP, then wouldn’t the leaders of the party also be inherently barred from conversation about national issues upon which they disagree?  Does the approach extend to international leaders too?  The above implications are known as the “meta message,” which is something professional communicators must always manage.

The statement made by White House Communications Director, Anita Dunn, definitely resonated with the democratic base, but is that the group Obama needs to sell to right now?  Absolutely not.  The president’s communication team would have been far better served by embarking on a campaign of “a thousand cuts” against the less credible elements of the Fox lineup, even though it takes a lot more time and strategic planning to implement.  At least they could have avoided the collateral damage they’re now experiencing.

A brand can take enormous pressure from outside sources, but when undermined from within, even the most thoroughly established identity can quickly unravel.  The president’s team must now contain the damage, and there’s little that can be done except to back down from their earlier stance if they’re to avoid further erosion of their image.  That might add some humble pie to the equation, but the public’s perception of their trustworthiness is a more valuable asset than pride.

The incident is an excellent example for communications teams everywhere.  Whenever considering a public statement, evaluate the following:

• Brand - How does this statement relate to my brand?
• Meta Message - What larger implication might be derived from this statement?
• Vulnerability - How easy will it be for the opposition to refute this statement?

Naturally, the above three factors aren’t the only ones to be evaluated, but they are among the top five.  Public relations work is always a function of marketing, and those who forget that do so at their own peril.

The average visitor will only scan an unknown website for 10 seconds or less.  That’s how long you have to spell out a benefit the visitor wants or needs.  It’s equally important to realize the rule applies to every page on the site, because visitors don’t always come in the front door.  The above factors make the presence of a marketing communications professional an indispensable asset for a web development team.

As a former Webby Award reviewer, I know the vast majority of sites don’t communicate a value statement for the prospective customer within the allotted time.  Worse yet, some never get to the point at all.  The primary reason for this sad state of affairs is the absence of experienced writers with marketing communications expertise.

The majority of a website’s communicative value is in the written word, but for some inexplicable reason, the technological generation has overlooked the importance of using it to capture audience attention.  The implicit assumption seems to be that the medium itself is sufficient to make people read the content, but the statistics do not bear out that hypothesis.  

Lately, there has been an overriding interest in manipulating words to draw traffic with search engine optimization, but that’s only half the job.  If a crowd comes to the store, but no one stays long enough to get to the cash register, has the merchant succeeded?  Of course not.

Writers know how to get the prospect to the cash register, and it’s called “WIIFM.”

WIIFM is an acronym for “What’s in it for me?”  The answer to that question is always found in benefits, and those benefits have to be front and center in order to be related within the first 10 seconds of a visit.  Websites that waste precious time on mission statements or features of the company or product leave it to the visitor to infer what’s in it for them to stay.  Guess what?  They don’t.

Every single page of website copy has to grab the visitor’s attention with something that fulfills his or her want or need.  This concept is as valid for informational sites as it is for commercial sites.  The reader has to be convinced your page has what he or she is looking for or they’ll move on, because in most cases they have at least a million other sites to choose from.  It’s as simple as that.

If you’re about to build a site, find out who’s writing the copy on the web development team and the level of experience that person has in marketing writing.  Experience limited exclusively to the Internet probably isn’t a good qualification unless the person has written for successful sites such as QVC or other retailing sites that live or die on their ability to tell the customer what they want and need to know.  

Above all, remember that a website is never about the company.  It’s about the prospects or visitors the site is trying to attract.  An experienced marketing writer understands that and uses the audience demographic and psychographic data to develop strategies that entice the audience to stay and return often.

Whenever I first meet a client, I ask them what they sell.  The answer is almost always expressed in terms of features, but that’s not why people buy.  Therefore, it’s not what they’re selling.

A feature is only relevant when it satisfies a need or desire.  The fulfillment of the customer’s needs and desires is the essence of the marketing process.  Moreover, people don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy.  All we have to do is figure out what the customer is really buying.  Unfortunately, that’s not always a straightforward process.

One client told me over and over again that his was a “boutique agency,” and I kept asking him, “Why does that matter?  How does that benefit your customer?”  It took a remarkable amount of time to get an answer to my question.  It turned out that “boutique agency” really meant personal attention to every account and frequent information updates that his competition doesn’t provide.  Those are real benefits.  That’s the “WIIFM” - an acronym standing for “What’s in it for me?”

Do not use vague, meaningless terms like “boutique agency” when you mean “personal attention” and “better information.”  State your value in terms that benefit your customer.

Furthermore, the new terms positioned the client in the marketplace.  No other agency does what his does.  This clearly distinguishes his agency, and that distinction has to be made in the mind of the prospect.  The term boutique does nothing to do so, because there are many agencies that specialize or that are small, but neither of those meanings applied to my client.

Bertolt Brecht said the way to market was to either do things differently or do them better, and that makes him the first proponent of positioning strategy in my opinion.  Positioning emphasizes how your product or service is different or better than the other offerings in the market. 

Look at your competition and ask yourself what it is about your product or service that’s better or different.  Then relate that by way of a tangible benefit for your customers.

Then you’ll know what you’re selling.

The government of the United States was founded upon the principle that all humanity has inherent rights as living and equal beings.  We, the undersigned, assert that our inborn rights extend to the commonly shared environment upon which all life draws sustenance for survival and health.  Moreover, we declare the natural resources of our country to be the province of the people.

Our age has witnessed and tolerated an assault on nature to the extent that the lives, property and health of the people are imperiled. 

We therefore demand in the name of the people and generations of Americans to come the following inalienable rights be acknowledged and enforced: 

The Right to Clean Air 

The unaffected state of the world’s atmosphere enabled all life on the planet to arise and flourish.  The prerequisite dependence of all land-based life upon clean air for sustenance makes an atmosphere free of corruption an absolute right of survival and healthy development. 

Numerous chemicals, radioactive isotopes, carbon, heavy metals, and other non-natural elements have been introduced into our common environment, which has caused lung disease, poisoned our food supply, affected the planet’s climate and upset the delicate balance of numerous natural systems.  We hold that the continued violation of this resource is an infringement upon the rights the people of the United States and all other life forms.   

The Right to Clean Water

Water is the primary requirement for life to exist anywhere in our world and universe.  Water’s unique and well-documented capacity to birth life of infinite form and variety makes it a miraculous and indispensable asset of our planet.  Since the dawn of time, the quality of water has always been life-giving when left to its essential state of existence.  Furthermore, humankind must have sufficient supply of potable water as a requirement for continued existence, which therefore makes clean water a natural right of all citizens and life forms.

The planet’s water systems have had aberrant elements introduced to them, and the life forms within the water have been killed and mutated.  Human beings who ingest either the corrupted water or food from those systems are likewise susceptible to painful and debilitating health problems, genetic mutation or death.  Therefore those who alter the balanced and unspoiled state of water, or who directly and artificially reduce or diminish natural clean water levels to the point of doing harm in a country, county or province, trod on the rights of all who depend upon the water. 

The Right to Healthy Food

Humankind has cultivated crops, fished the seas and raised livestock for at least 10,000 years to acquire the necessary nutrients to sustain life and to properly develop the internal bodily systems required for a life free of disease and pain.  The human body must ingest organic material for its energy and nutritional value.  Since all life forms depend upon the environment for their growth, any pollution of the biosystem must and does get deposited within the human being.  Humanity is intrinsically deserving of food that has full value and is free of contamination. 

Pesticides, growth hormones, water pollution, air contaminants and artificial genetic modifications have been introduced into the food supply without a full understanding of the effect on the living.  At the very least, the nutritional value of modified foods is reduced, and in many cases the corruption may cause illness or death.  The extent of tampering with natural systems extends from the unintended consequence of burning coal that deposits mercury and arsenic in fish to the deliberate genetic mutation of crops.  The former makes large fish such as tuna unsafe to eat more than twice a week and the latter may severely lower the nutrients in food even as it increases the volume of supply.

Any method of tampering with the food supply that causes harm or death, either directly or indirectly, is a violation of the right to healthy food. 

The Right to Abundant Energy 

Energy is in abundant supply in the world and cosmos; indeed, Einstein’s work of more than 100 years ago proves energy is omnipresent.  These energy forms have existed since the origin of the universe, and have not negatively impacted the development of life or ecosystems.  

While our technology’s ability to capture, store and utilize the virtually unlimited energy spectrum is somewhat restricted, there are energy collection and utilization methods in existence entirely consistent with the health and well being of humanity.  Wind, solar, kinetic, hydrogen and water energy are just a few of the viable, promising technologies available right now.  The unmitigated production of energy at the expense of human welfare and the biosphere in the presence of workable, healthy alternatives is irresponsible and negligent.

We therefore demand that energy technologies compatible with human life be developed with all due haste and urgency.

The Right to a Balanced Biosphere

The world’s biosphere is a finely tuned system that has evolved during countless millennia to sustain all native life forms on the planet.  Balance is the natural state of the biosphere, and without interference from others, it is remarkably efficient and effective at providing the environs to sustain healthy life. 

Only in the past century of humanity’s history has the introduction of sufficient interference altered the inherent stability of our biosphere with potentially cataclysmic effects to the health and well being of all humankind.  The continued promotion and propagation of detrimental activities to interrupt the natural balance of the biosphere negates the rights of all who depend upon it. 

The Right to Health 

Human beings are naturally healthy in the overwhelming majority of cases when our systems are not subjected to contamination of the natural environment to which we have been genetically attuned during the course of at least 11 millennia. 

Approximately five generations of humanity have had their bodies and environment assaulted by contaminants ranging from chemicals to radioactive elements.  There is no viable natural protection from the effects of these pollutants, and the consequences have included diseases ranging from asthma to several varieties of cancer. 

We find there has been a negligent poisoning of humanity that cannot continue unabated.  All people have an inalienable right to their natural health without interference from outside influences.  Any activity that harms or negatively affects humankind’s natural state of health is an affront to humanity’s inherent rights, and any new technological advance must be longitudinally studied for the effects on the overall health of humankind prior to being approved for use.

The Right to Know

Organizations and individuals operating among the people routinely engage in activities harmful or potentially harmful to the health of those in the community without any disclosure of those activities.  In innumerable cases, these crimes were discovered only upon the manifestation of unusual rates of disease and illness among the surrounding population.  This situation is clearly unconscionable and must not continue. 

The people of every community have the right to be notified every five years about the possible health effects resulting from the creation, use or discharge of any materials within a five mile radius not commonly found in similar concentration levels among natural systems.

The Right to Review

Whenever a community discovers that an organization or individual is using, creating or discharging an unhealthy amount of unnatural elements within a five mile radius, that community has the right to review and vote on whether the activity will be allowed to continue.  Further, the community has the right to seek redress for the expense of detoxification and any harm done to the members of the community at the offender’s expense.  Community financial claims arising against an organization or individual take precedence over any other claim against assets in the event of bankruptcy or insolvency.

The Right to Refuse

Any organization or individual seeking to move into a community must first obtain the permission of the people by popular vote when that organization or individual uses, creates or discharges any material that may be harmful to the surrounding environment.  Failure to fully disclose potentially harmful activities or the impact of those activities will result in a full seizure of assets until the concerns of the community and the common environment are adequately addressed.

The Right to Redress

Whenever the commonly held environment has been harmed, or the health of the people has been adversely affected, the community’s grievances and damages are rightfully the first to be redressed to the exclusion of all others until compensation is made in full. 

We hereby assert our inalienable rights of environment in the name of humanity and all life forms that are dependent upon these foundational conditions for survival and health.  We reject the notion that these are options or luxuries to be dispensed at the pleasure and convenience of government or any other organizational entity.  The technology exists to properly protect the common biosphere, and we demand these innovations be developed at full capacity.  Further, we set these rights as the standard for the development and deployment of any and all technological activities present and future.

One of the most frustrating parts of being a professional writer is that most believe the entirety of the profession is about words.  Worse yet, the stated requirements for many jobs are so basic that they do little or nothing to discern professionals from amateurs.  This article will help managers and hiring personnel make better choices by enabling them to ask the right questions.

While it’s true writers have a command of the English language and a variety of styles, these factors are not where the value of a writer is found.  There are subtle techniques at the sentence and paragraph level, but the four most important skills for professional writers are rhetorical strategy, audience analysis, research ability and knowledge of the genre. 

Any writer who has any expectation of being paid knows things like AP or Chicago style, is concise and knows how to spell.  Yet, most people’s expectations include those non-discerning criteria that almost guarantee a poor outcome. 

Writers are supposed to make your argument, describe your product/service/company with clarity and distinction and meet the needs of your audience.  This is the profession of writing - not the stylebook alone. 

Rhetorical Strategy - The framework for a piece of writing has a strategy that’s based upon the nature of the topic and the audience.  Common structures are problem-solution, comparison-contrast, allegory and satire to name just a few examples.  While the topic itself may lend itself to a particular structure type, the deciding factor is always the audience.  Specifically, what does the audience already know about the topic and what does the client need them to understand?  The answer to that question not only determines whether or not a structure type can or should be used but also how it’s employed.

Audience Analysis - The most important factor for any communication is the audience.  There are no exceptions to this, because the audience must be reached.  Failure to have the audience take notice is a waste of time and money.  No matter how cheaply the failed writing may have been acquired at, it was a complete waste if the audience isn’t influenced in the desired manner. 

The most glaring example of poor audience analysis in the world today is technical documentation for computers and software.  These manuals are quite probably the worst  writing products in human history, because the writers assume far too much about their audience. 

A professional writes to the “lowest common denominator” of their audience, i.e., the person who knows the least and reads most poorly.  Technical writers do not do this, and the evidence is found in the billions of dollars expended annually upon support centers and websites intent on clarifying what should have been made clear in the first place.  The writing isn’t cheap if it requires huge amounts of personnel time to make it understandable.  Bad writing is the most expensive writing there is. 

There are two basic methods professional writers use to analyze their audience: 

• Demographics - The basic life stage of the majority of audience members described in terms of age, race, gender, income level, educational background etc. These facts mostly indicate how sophisticated the audience is and how the writer may engage it. This information rarely affects substantial amounts of content. 
• Psychographics - This pivotal information indicates what the audience currently knows, thinks or feels about a topic and their contextual frame of understanding. It’s the writer’s job to work with these factors to create a new perspective. A good writer will consider how he or she wants the audience member to react emotionally to the piece. Emotion is an exceptionally powerful motivator, and those who don’t address the audience’s concerns have lost the majority of the battle right there. Psychographics are also of central importance to neural learning, persuasion and marketing. 

While the above data perspectives are critically important, there’s still one last thing a truly talented writer does.  The demographic and psychographic information should be synthesized into what I’ve come to call the “compassionate composite.”  Before I set down to write, I have a picture in my mind of the human beings I’m writing to and influencing.  What matters to them?  What moves them?  How do they interact and perceive the world and the client?  What are they worried about?  What makes them smile? 

The answers to the above questions help make the best pieces, because few others bother to address the fundamental emotional integrity of the audience.  This writing stands out, because it touches something inside the individual.  Emotional identification with a piece makes it memorable.  While this final step obviously isn’t necessary for every type of writing, it’s particularly well-advised for any influential piece.

Research Ability - Believe it or not, some fail to do their research before committing something to the public record.  Failure to know all the facts is the worst kind of mistake. Research entails more than just using Google or Wikipedia.  Useful and informative research addresses the implications of the topic and how it may intersect with other subject areas.

For example, I once had to write a training manual about government regulation of forklifts.  It seemed simple enough on the surface, but the variety of forklifts and their applications implicated several seemingly unrelated laws.  Forklifts use several types of fuel and that meant a reference about hazardous materials storage and transport regulations had to be included.  Some forklifts are electrical and that involved ISO standards for electricity and batteries.  A writer has to be able to independently discern these interconnections to do the job well.

Sources are one of the most important aspects of good research.  The sources have to be reliable and confirmed by other credible sources.  Many times a difference of nuance is uncovered and addressed by using multiple sources.  In some cases, a fine gradation of facts can be exploited for great effect on behalf of the client.

Furthermore, there are a variety of source types that shouldn’t be neglected.  Databases, professional journals, popular books, white papers and cultural treatises are just a few of the information types that should be consulted for valuable input.

Remember, just because your writer doesn’t know something about the topic, it doesn’t mean the audience is ignorant of it.  Your credibility hangs in the balance.

Knowledge of Genre- Writing an ad is very different from writing a magazine article.  Applying AP style to an advertisement makes for a very ineffective promotion.  A magazine article written to the standards of advertising will not be published.  Genre knowledge alone isn’t a sufficient criterion for recruitment, but it’s usually quite significant.  Below are a few types of typical genre standards.

Advertising copy has to get attention and be remembered well, and English language standards are secondary.  It’s perfectly acceptable to use poor literary technique if it serves attention and recall.  It also has to produce a desire in the audience member and include a call to action that moves people to buy.

Journalistic writing is succinct and must include a lead, a “nut graph” and provide information in order of importance.  A lead gets the readers attention and hints of what’s to come.  The “nut graph” is usually the second paragraph that provides a frame of reference for all that’s to come in the article, i.e., the article in a “nutshell.”  From there forward the article will contain the most pertinent information in descending order.

Promotional copy other than advertising must get straight to the point and include the product or company’s unique selling proposition (USP), positioning strategy, a credibility statement and benefits to the audience members.  Features are secondary to the benefits they provide.  Most importantly, the product or company has to be perceived as either solving a problem or filling a compelling need.

Technical writing has to include all pertinent facts and at least reference tangential areas that might be important for a complete understanding of the topic.  The arrangement of the information can be based upon many factors such as the order of a procedure or the most common applications for a product or service.  All technical writing must address the needs of the audience members with the lowest level of understanding and reading ability.  The preceding point can not be overemphasized. 

Summary 

Writers should be hired for their ability to think, analyze and meet the needs of their audience.  Any other standard is a prescription for failure and lost investment.

It’s difficult to advertise for a “smart” writer, but a track record can be very informative.  A person with only one type of writing experience is probably not a good candidate, because they often have been trained in the mistakes of others.  Variety in terms of structure and genre are most important, because this is where the heart of the profession lies.  We’re reaching human beings every time we write anything, and being able to do that on several levels makes the best writing.

When all the factors come together in a single package, the results can remain with the reader for the rest of his or her life.  That’s when writing breaks off the page and into the realm of magic and lore. 

I’ll never forget the day an audience gave a standing ovation for a video I produced and wrote the script for, or when a reader broke down in tears after reading a piece I wrote about the disease she suffered.  She turned to me and said, “That’s it.  That’s my life exactly.  Thank you for explaining it to people.”  Those are simultaneously proud and humbling moments, and probably the single reason why I can’t imagine doing anything else.

In the end, eliciting feelings in people is the only reason to write at all.

An exterior view of Philadelphia Java Company.

Office drudgery can stymie a writer’s creativity, so finding a place that inspires, intrigues and has enough refinement to satisfy a selective disposition is a treasure.  That’s why Philadelphia Java Company on 4^th Street just above South is one of my favorite places to refresh and rejuvenate.

Philadelphia Java has struck the perfect balance of atmosphere, quality and congeniality.  Visitors can count on an excellent cup of coffee, great food, interesting conversation and a genuine slice of Philadelphia life.  It’s an experience.

From the original artwork on the walls to the fresh-cut flowers, visitors are immersed in attention to detail that’s always comforting to find in a food establishment.  This isn’t cookie-cutter product marketing; it’s manifest hospitality providing a sense of welcome and warmth rarely found in our retail chain world.

Owners Alia Banna and Jerry Roseman set out to make it a Philly store, and it worked.  All the food and ingredients are locally grown and produced right down to the La Colombe coffee they serve.  The vibrant freshness of even the most subtle flavors resonates in everything from their tuna fish panini to the homemade soup. 

The eclectic mix of customers who frequent the store are generally more congenial and have cleaner eating habits than those found at other cafes.  The Queens Village location draws professionals from upscale Society Hill and the gritty, artistic crowd of the South Street neighborhood alike.  Blackberries and full-body tattoos are seen side by side here, and nothing seems more natural.  Conversation comes easily and runs the full spectrum of human interest.

Artwork from local artists lends a touch of color, and new pieces are in rotated every month.  It was the first improvement the owners established when they took over the store in August 2002.  The store had been at the location since 1997, but fell into a state of disrepair, so Banna and Roseman offered their brick walls to the creative community completely free of charge.  The store got a signature look and the artists were provided a display venue.  It’s the same symbiotic relationship the neighborhood association later adopted to spruce up vacant retail space in the area.

In a city plagued with Wi-Fi issues, Philadelphia Java is an oasis of free connectivity that keeps people productive even as they relax over fresh tea with friends.  It’s a little odd to find the latest technology within the confines of a Victorian era storefront when so many more modern facilities lack it, but that’s just part of the place’s charm.

Meanwhile, Banna’s mother is busy in the kitchen making lunch like she was making it for her own family, customers mill past with their leashed dogs in tow, baristas charm people with light conversation and humor, and a quiet writer absorbs it all from window seat in the corner as South Street tourists stroll along outside.  This is classic Philly at its best, and Philadelphia Java Company is destined to become a city legend.