A pulp novelist’s advice for writing more engaging & exciting sales copy
Published: Thu, 07/02/20
So says “Email Players” subscriber Leticia Mooney.
She was commenting on yesterday's email, about why I think anyone who does copywriting — whether you write copy or clients or yourself — should write a novel, or some kind of fiction every now and then.
And I will add:
For one, it’s tremendous fun.
And secondly, it can help your sales copy in all kinds of ways. Like, for example, creating better storytelling, faster pacing, building intrigue, etc — all of which can make your emails and other sales copy a lot more interesting and engaging. And the best part is, it ain’t nearly as hard as you might think.
So far I’ve banged out 8 admittedly “pulp” horror novels.
And, to do it I simply wrote one chapter per day.
Each chapter took roughly an hour or two.
And before I knew it, it was done.
I have no idea how other people do it. But for me, the key is to treat the first draft like a rough sketch a comicbook artist does when drawing a character.
They start with a stick figure.
No bells or whistles.
No detail or shading or anything.
Just scribbles and lines and stick figures.
Then, they go back and tighten up lines, erase stuff, add stuff, maybe put some shading in, vary the line width, add color, yada yada yada… it may end up not looking like what you originally planned to draw, or it could be exactly it.
But that first sketch?
Just lines and gestures and scribbles.
And that’s exactly how to write fiction quickly.
Just brain fart whatever comes out on the page.
Most of it might not even make sense to anyone but you which is fine, as that’s what the second draft is for. Then the third draft. And the fourth… Personally, I do 10 “passes” on my books. And each pass you fill stuff in, take stuff out, “zoom in” on other parts, get whole new ideas to add, pull out themes, and so on.
After that, it’s off to the editor and cover artist.
And that’s all there is to it.
If you’re interested in checking out my free Enoch Wars mobile app for insider news & updates about my novels, upcoming comics, possible movie plans later on, and other tidbits I got frying up, go here:
https://www.EmailPlayers.com/enochwars
I also have a podcast recording on there about writing fiction, too.
It is in the "Business of Enoch Wars" section.
Ben Settle
P.S. Should you have any issues with the app, simply email app support at help@learnistic.com.