about writing

Here is what the manager is looking for.

“Candidate that was previously hired, what stood out in their write up- agency experience, manage multiple priorities, process and how she works through something beginning to end.”

If words are bombs, copywriters are Richard Jewell. Proactive in intention, meticulous in delivery of the task, and visionary in representing a universal goal. (…Clint Eastwood does it again!) Intention and the way it relates to language is something I’ve been studying since I can remember. But actually physically writing in this form? Not long but I’ve been out moving and making notes along the way.

In college, I pursued a degree in researching human behavior, words and their economy, improvisation, storytelling, movement, proofreading, and the framework from which a fictional world is built. From intention of a character bursting into song to the intention in dialogue between lovers to the intention in a flick of a Bob Fosse wrist, I got to deep dive into a world that exposes humanity and how it relates to an audience from masters of their crafts.

My first experience writing in a public forum was a monthly humor column in my college newspaper. My second, two years out of school, was writing for Maxim Magazine. After keeping connections with the managing editor and various editors during an internship my junior year, an editorial assistant position opened up, I got a call on a Friday and started that following Monday. Once again, I fell in love with the intention of words, but this time it was supported by a brand, a rapidly changing brand at that.

Management changed. Editors were quitting right and left. The magazine’s pages became glossier. The photography was no longer playful. The mood went from farting-is-funny to Eyes Wide Shut themed F1 viewing parties and the audience went from bad boy stoners to guys who loved eating steak by a strip club stage. It was a world of money and yachts with a lack of morals and a severe wit that teetered on Patrick Bateman’s nightstand. After two weeks of observing my role, organizing archives of magazines, transcribing countless interviews, I understood my audience and I started pitching. At the end of my first month, I was on the phone with the Pussy Galore from original Goldfinger hearing what it was like to work with Sean Connery, then it was an international female DJ duo, Nervo, and so on for two and a half years.

Since then, I have had various experiences in writing for marketing firms, sales roles for start-ups, and locally owned businesses but two questions always stay the same. Who is the audience? What is the intention? In the past year, I contracted as a Copywriter for EAB, a nationally acclaimed higher education marketing firm. I worked closely with a team of four in the Adult Learning Recruitment department to create marketing materials that would encourage and inform prospective students to continue their education. I wrote creative copy for their introduction to the school; answering questions like: Who are we? What can we do for you? Why it’s worth the effort? How the hell you’re going to get it all done? And when you do, what’s in it for you? It was a masterclass in the precision you must uphold while balancing different client perspectives, needs, and personalities.

Throughout each writing experience I’ve had in my life, I’ve learned how the mechanics of words, punctuation, and grammar can connect to an audience when done with intention and how the lens through which a story is told can create change. For me, I’m in it for the whole story. The necessity of attention to detail to align with the needs of the audience. The study of human behavior to reach the brand’s goal. And the humanity that will keep us coming back for more day in and day out.

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