“What is the essence of the art of writing? Part One: Have something to say. Part Two: Say it well.”
― Edward Abbey
“The Write Stuff” Difference
Most people assume that writing is about choosing words and putting them in a particular order.
I suppose that’s certainly true … on the surface.
Go a bit deeper, you’ll start to see that words are merely sonic and visual expressions of feelings and thoughts.
Therefore, to find the right words that best convey a particular message, we must first understand the feelings and thoughts we wish to convey.
After doing this work for nearly 30 years, I make it a point to know my clients.
The relationship I create with them is pivotal to our working well together.
We begin each assignment with what I call a Business Process Assessment. That’s basically a fancy way of saying I want to know what state your project or enterprise currently occupies.
From there, I begin to ask question like:
who are you trying to serve by your endeavor?
what strategies have you tried in the past and how did these strategies lead you to where you are now?
which of your current strategies is working and which aren’t?
what particular hurdles you face?
what tolerance do you have for thinking “outside-the-box”?
And of course:
what vision do you hold for your future?
All this is essential!
Without knowing each of these details and more, how can I write authentically for a company, its stakeholders, its customers, or its audience?
Writing for a client often has elements of being your secretary, project manager, mentor or coach, attorney, spiritual advisor, and representative. Or you could simply boil all that down to one word and say I’m your friend.
I’m proud to note that, very frequently, the written work I produce for my clients catalyzes them to develop new ways of imagining both their business and themselves.