I’m not a big rules guy. Especially when it comes to writing copy. I’m much more in favor of guidelines.
That’s because audiences are different. They read in different ways. They respond to different messages. How are you going to apply rules when the game changes daily?
So these guidelines- they’re ideas that your writing should carry. They’re not formulas. Write with them in mind, not with them as a stencil.
The guidelines come from Rafe Esquith, a 5th grade teacher in Los Angeles. His classroom is exceptional in every way, despite long odds. His book, “Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire”, explains how a flat refusal to be ordinary provides for a life that’s better than normal.
Here they are:
- Be Nice
- Work Hard
That’s it. It works. Think about it: Rafe has a classrom full -full- of 5th grade kids, and these are the only two directives he has. He’s sold them on these two ideas because they work. Because it’s true.
Use them as ideas to guide copy, as criterion to measure a message. If your writing fits, it automatically appeals to these two basic human qualities that every one of us has.
If you’re service oriented, does your writing follow these rules?
Tags: writing