Write House Copywriting Service, Wolverhampton, Misused Words Series - Part 2 – Stationary vs. Stationery

Wolverhampton Copywriting Service, Write House, Misused Words Series...

Wolverhampton copywriting service, Write House, continues their education in correct word usage. In part two of the series we tackle stationary and stationery. 

Firstly, happy new year! Granted it’s the middle of March, however, our time has been somewhat preoccupied with the launch of our new lifestyle blog – daddydotcom.blogspot.co.uk – and preparations for the launch of our all new White Paper copywriting service. So, please accept our sincerest apologies.

Following on from part one of our misused words series, part two takes on stationary and stationery. It may surprise you, but in copywriting circles the two words have been known to cause a few problems.

So, Write House is here to help. Let’s do this:

Stationary – dictionary definition - ‘Not moving or not intended to be moved’.
Incorrect usage – ‘I want to order some stationary for the office’.

Correct usage – ‘The vehicle at the side of the road is stationary’.

Stationery – dictionary definition – ‘Writing and other office materials’.
Incorrect usage – ‘The train at the platform is currently stationery’.

Correct usage – ‘I need to find a stationery supplier for the office.’

Don’t be surprised when typing an e-mail ordering ‘stationary’ for your office for things to remain motionless. 

If you’re ever in doubt, check it out. A simple Google search will help you to avoid those spelling mishaps, but don’t become complacent. There are some places where you won’t be able to rely on Google to - bail, or is it bale? – you out.

It might sound impossible, but minor spelling mishaps can have severe ramifications. Write House always relates to the example of re-sign and resign. The simple omission of the hyphen can have catastrophic consequences.

Write House recollects a story of an employee, sent an e-mail during negotiations over a new contract, to which he replied I wish to resign. This caught his employer completely off guard. Now, obviously the employee had wanted to re-sign, and it was not until the employee returned from holiday to discover the full extent of his error.

The employer had accepted his resignation and had since started the search for a new member of staff. The moral of the story is that correct word usage, along with checking spelling and grammar is vital, particularly in a professional capacity where first impressions count. 

There’s Copywriting in my Underwear - ‘Copywriting Encounters Inevitable’

Wherever you fix your gaze it’s inevitable that you will come across copywriting in one of its many varying forms. Advertising billboards, discarded packaging as you enjoy a leisurely stroll through your hometown or city; heck, even the tag in your underwear, all feature some form of copywriting.

Copywriting has infiltrated all areas of life and as a copywriter I guess I notice it more than most. Words positioned perfectly to pique the interest of unsuspecting consumers, placing subliminal messages in one’s head that seem to stick for a life time.

Copywriting is something we encounter with greater frequency than most other things in life. 

That toothpaste you use in the morning, that deodorant you spray over yourself and the shower gel you use (presuming that you shower of course) all feature a form of copywriting. Whether it is a catchy little slogan, or an ingredient list, these words represent the phenomenon that is copywriting.

What’s my point you ask? My point is the impact that it has on us, the consumer, without us even realising it.

Just recently, whilst curled up on the sofa with ‘Mrs Write House’ I was subjected to the new O2 advert, you know the one, the advert featuring a cat with the slogan ‘Be More Dog’. I cannot tell you how compelling I found this advert, the idea of a cat switching its mind set to that of a dog in an effort to grab all of life’s opportunities stirred me.

Silly, no? Maybe not, copywriting has done its job, the days that have followed my encounter with that advert have been some of the best of my life and it was an attitude changer.

Copywriting cannot be ignored as it serves a purpose. 

In my latest adventure towards the vicinity of the washing machine to load my unmentionables, I took the, later to be regretted decision, to ignore the guidance of the tag. I’ve always viewed clothing tags an inconvenience, especially in underwear.

Come on we’ve all been there, the tag pops out your underwear and some ‘Smart Alec’ always has to point it out to you. To me the tag in underwear epitomises the word pointless! Or so I thought. I set my underwear on wash at 90 degrees, blissfully unaware of what was to come.

Those of you familiar with washing will know that washing underwear at 90 degrees results in one outcome, shrinkage. Imagine my dismay when, upon retrieving my perfectly clean underwear, I discovered that they were more befitting of my 3-year-old son’s underwear.

What was more frustrating is that having ignored the copywriting on the label, which advises the right temperature to wash the items, the writing on the label had now faded rendering it unreadable.

There are two morals to this story, the first being copywriting is in your underwear for a reason people. This leads us to the second moral, ALWAYS READ THE LABEL.

Are you in need of a copywriter? Visit the official Write House website – www.writehouse.co.uk – for more information about our copywriting service.             

Write House Copywriting Service | My Copy’s Better than your Copy - Copywriters in Competition

Professional copywriter Daniel Waldron, founder of Write House Wolverhampton, blogs about the competition among copywriters.

In my regular perusing of copywriting service websites, in order to assess the competition of course, I was struck by some of the ‘shameless’ self-promotion tactics employed in order to win much coveted gigs.

Whilst I am under no illusion that competition for writing gigs is fierce, I think what disturbed me most was a heightened ‘win at all costs’ mentality that appears to have infiltrated the world of the freelance copywriter and copywriting service companies.

I enjoy some fabulous relationships with fellow professional copywriters, to the extent where I will often share work or recommend a writing gig that is not within my remit, but would suit a fellow copywriter.

Now I’m not sure if it is just me, but as a copywriter I have noticed a seismic shift in the number of ‘copywriters’ using underhand tactics in order to secure work. To a certain extent I can understand why this happens on projects of high monetary value, after all they are few and far between. However, projects of relatively low value appear to result in copywriters resorting to inexcusable tactics in order to oust the competition.

In one particular instance I came across a project whereby two ‘professional copywriters’ had engaged in online warfare, resorting to personal slander and abuse and completely neglecting all manner of professionalism and for what? A project worth £100 which, needless to say, the customer awarded to neither of the two so-called ‘professional copywriters’.

Whilst I was on a copywriting forum page, I read intently as a contributor described how they had once hacked the website of a copywriting competitor in Northampton and sabotaged the site. The person described how they posted lewd images on the home page of the rival and using ‘online graffiti’ wrote ‘my copy is, and always will be, better than yours.’

I swiftly voiced my outrage at such behaviour, reprimanding this particular individual. From my perspective freelance copywriters have it hard enough with a minority of customers expecting ‘top-notch’ copy and expecting to pay pennies. The very notion that professional copywriters are turning on each other with such despicable acts is beyond my comprehension.

Thankfully, up until this point at least, I’ve not been subjected to such underhand tactics, but there is now a heightened suspicion that this could certainly happen to me. Therefore, I urge you fellow copywriters, those of you that value business relationships, morality and ethics, stand against this behaviour so that together we can stamp it out.

If you’re a copywriter that has fallen victim to underhand tactics Write House would like to hear from you. Leave your comments and let’s display a show of unity against ‘copywriters’ that undermine our profession.

To learn more about Write House and its services visit the official website – www.writehouse.co.uk 

Write House copywriting service, Wolverhampton, was founded by copywriter, Daniel Waldron, and was established in February 2013.

They said what?! - Who will you vote for in the next General 'Erection?'

In all my years as a freelance copywriter and proofreader I never thought I would be faced with the question of who gets my vote in the General 'Erection' stakes.


This question only serves to highlight the total disregard of content authors when it comes to proofreading their copywriting efforts.


I'm often asked 'What is the benefit of outsourcing my copywriting and proofreading requirements?' Well, I believe I've answered that question without having to answer it.

I was utterly astounded that a local government website could miss such a glaring error. It's unforgivable, unprofessional and any serious answers to this question will certainly not be forthcoming.


I appreciate that the government is making every effort to connect people with party politics, but all humour aside, this is as glaring an error as letting Boris Johnson loose on London as Mayor.


Write House cannot stress enough the importance of 'reading what you write' and more importantly getting a second person to read it.


Simply relying on spell checker will not eradicate errors such as this as 'Erection' is spelt correctly and it has no concept of what it is you're trying to say. In this case I think 'Election' may have been more suitable.


The benefit of hiring a professional proofreader for as little as £10 per hour could save you a whole heap of embarrassment from situations such as this. 


Here's why:

• Professional proofreaders are primed to identify such errors. Your document or content will be presented to its intended audience free from grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes.

• You can't put a price on reputation. Did you know? 82% of consumers would refrain from buying a product or service if marketing material was littered with spelling errors.

The example alluded to in this piece serves as a warning that bad copywriting and failure to proofread will certainly make you stand out, but not in the way you would hope.

Family and the Freelancer

As a freelance copywriter, with a young family, finding those moments free from distraction can be a challenging experience. I have two boys, one who will be three in March and a two week old newborn, which has completely changed the dynamic of family life and the way in which I approach my freelance career.

Juggling family and freelance work requires effort and patience and the two have to be clearly differentiated from each other in order to find the right balance. I don’t think I will ruffle many feathers by stating that family always comes first, regardless of workload.

However, it’s important, as a freelancer with a significant amount of work, to communicate with the family and simply have an open dialogue as to what constitutes ‘family time’ and what constitutes ‘freelance time’.

If you’re fortunate to live in a household with a spare room, many seasoned freelance workers would recommend setting up office in that room, with a door lock, in order to concentrate solely on work, free from disruption. Also, having surroundings that create a work environment free you from the urge to lounge on the sofa or on the bed, two places which do not inspire a ‘working mentality’.

The temptation to get involved in ‘family activities’, without a haven to retreat to for work purposes, is overwhelming and I speak from experience, bearing in mind that I myself live in a two-up, two-down, terraced house, which offers little space to separate ‘work’ from family.

With the recent addition of a newborn to the family, the time-frame in which I have to work has altered somewhat. My own personal preference is to work during the day; however, I’ve had to adapt my ‘working day’ to evening shifts when both children are resting.

Whilst working in the evening presents a whole new set of challenges, as a freelancer, I have to be adaptable and come to a compromise in order to best serve my customers and my family.

The best piece of advice I can give to aspiring writers, with a young family, is to make use of every pocket of time. Don’t envy the small jobs that come through from clients as you learn to adjust to carrying out your work commitments within a family environment. In terms of adapting, the phrase ‘little and often’ is very applicable when faced with the scenario of an expanding family and freelance work.

This is where having a good base of clients that you know well is extremely beneficial, as they will be much more understanding of your circumstances due to the rapport and relationship that you have built with them.

Above all, the key factor to juggling ‘family’ and ‘freelance work’ is to keep on communicating. 

Having the support of your family that understands when ‘work time’ is, and having clients that trust you and your reputation will stand you in good stead to manage the work-life balance.

 
Provided that you constantly keep all parties informed, with realistic goals and targets, don’t promise what you are unable to deliver, then you can maintain a prosperous freelance career and maintain family harmony, well to a degree at least!!! 

Write House provides a comprehensive range of services that will help your business to increase its prominence including copywriting, proofreading and editing services, social media assistance and media consultancy services.

 

Write House, Wolverhampton –Writing ‘What You Know’ Versus Pushing the Boundaries

In this blog, Write House founder, Daniel Waldron, looks at arguments for sticking to writing ‘what you know’ and broadening the horizons.

Write House founder, Daniel Waldron, comments: “As a copywriter, I come across the phrase ‘write what you know’ on a regular basis. Whilst to some degree it’s a great piece of advice, it also raises the question of whether it limits creative capacity. As a writer, should I be afraid to expand my horizons because I’m not an expert on the subject? I’m not convinced.”

Perhaps the obvious point to raise here is that becoming an expert in a particular topic or topics means that a writer would have had to push boundaries in order to achieve expert knowledge in that particular subject. Therefore, it makes sense then that a writer should not be afraid to keep on expanding their knowledge across a diverse range of subjects, doesn't it?

Well, according to some experts, no. Psychology experts argue that certain people simply have a natural affinity with certain subjects and tests show that this is true of writers. With this evidence in mind, many copywriters are of the belief that writing about what you know is the best route to writing success.

There is an argument for this belief, after all, some of the best articles ever written are produced by writers writing about subjects that they are passionate about, have an in-depth knowledge of and are ready and willing to carry out extensive research in order to do their specialist topic justice.

However, sceptics of this way of writing argue that it restricts creativity and limits the scope of what many writers can write about. The obvious question is, how will a writer know what they are good at writing about unless they push the boundaries of their writing capabilities?

Daniel Waldron states: “Yes I do have certain specialisms in terms of writing capabilities; however, I would never have discovered them unless I stepped outside my comfort zone. I’m not sure about natural affinity as I am a strong advocate of ‘if you apply yourself to something there’s no limit to what you can achieve’.”

In some respects, whilst a writer, who has a vast knowledge of a particular subject, has an ‘advantage’ over a writer who doesn't there’s no reason why the ‘less knowledgeable’ writer cannot become a specialist in a particular subject.

However, critics here would argue that the acquisition of knowledge is not the issue, the issue is passion. Is the writer stirred by the subject? Does it interest them? Does it provoke a reaction to dig deeper?

Even if it does, the argument then comes down to this – does it matter? After all, a writer should be writing for the audience not personal preference. But, this in itself is also a stumbling block, as writers need to develop the skill of removing themselves from the article on a personal level as the written word often conveys what’s on the heart. Unfortunately, many writers have suffered as they’ve been unable to remove themselves from an article on a personal level, leading to an unwanted backlash from audiences.

Write House states: “Any piece of written work is always subjective, it’s open to interpretation and will be viewed from many different perspectives. Copywriting in itself is an art and the best advice for copywriters is to do what feels comfortable. If you’re seeing results from sticking to a particular subject continue to write in that manner. If you’re a writer who likes a challenge, expand your horizons.”

Founded in 2009, Write House emerged with assistance from the Princes' Trust. Business owner, Daniel Waldron, established the company with the vision of putting the 'personal service' back into the media industry.

Plagiarism: The Scourge of the Copywriter

As a copywriter nothing is more frustrating than producing a unique, well written article only to discover that it has been copied and pasted and placed on another website under a different author name.

Hours of research and writing are all undone by what can only be described as lazy writers and ‘freelance’ copywriters that take on bulk projects and are unable to hit specified deadlines, therefore resorting to ‘copy theft’ in order to meet the requirements of those they exploit.

A minority of individuals take the profession of ‘copywriter’ quite literally. Simply they copy the work of honest, legitimate writers and pass it off as their own. The problem has become so widespread that websites now exist that monitor the uniqueness of content in order to stamp 

out copy plagiarising.

The World Wide Web is a awash with content and, due to the substantial amount of written content that is uploaded on a daily basis, there is a high percentage chance that content will be copied and re-submitted under another author name.

Some would argue that there is no harm in such a practice, after all much of the news content on the web is often regurgitated and presented in a different way. Whilst this is a true statement, the negative impact that it has on writers that create the original content can be quite costly.

The largest culprit for copied content are freelance sites, whereby certain individuals, describing themselves as copywriters, take on small, medium or massive writing projects advertised by businesses all over the world, yet these so called ‘writers’ have absolutely no writing experience at all.

Such ‘writers’ resort to scouring the internet to trace content worthy of piecing together an article for unsuspecting clients that will meet approval and often that content is plagiarised from the work of other writers.

Whilst the content is ‘well written’, a closer look will reveal that because the content has often been sourced from several different sources, a tactic used to try and hide the fact that content is copied, it often does not flow, make sense or remain on topic.

Therefore, it could be argued that not only does plagiarism devalue the work of the original writer; it means that the recipients of copied content often end up with a disjointed article that is nonsensical, of poor quality and completely substandard for the intention it was purposed for.

Unfortunately, the problem continues to escalate, despite the introduction of websites put in place (e.g. Copyscape) to monitor and penalise those that simply plagiarise another writer’s work.

The continued problem has a derogatory impact on genuine copywriters looking to make an honest living. Trust in the freelance market has also suffered in terms of the quality that freelance service users can expect. However, the use of freelance writers has increased due to economic recession and businesses looking to cut back on costs.

However, although the use of freelancer writers has increased, this has also opened the door for rogue copywriters to exploit unsuspecting customers all in the interests of making quick money.

The key piece of advice that Write House can give is that ‘cheaper is not always the solution’. Common sense should prevail and those seeking the services of a copywriter should do their research, check credentials and references and finally, if you’re serious about using the services of a top copywriter or copywriting service you have to be prepared to pay the going rate.

In this instance, the term ‘you get what you pay for’ could not be more accurate.

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