A couple days ago, Alan Jones wrote a good piece about company narratives - how startups can define who they are by telling good stories about the timeline and character of the company. I agree with Alan too - the company narrative is a crucial part of startup writing. But I’d like to add something to the post.
I gather Alan is just talking about company narrative in the ‘About Us’ section. But I think sometimes, it develops best in your blog. Sure, you should probably have a story somewhere on the frontpage (it’s likely the first thing people will look at), but your blog is the place to really bring it to life. Post funny pictures as you take them; post funny stories as they happen; post why you’re doing what you’re doing as you figure it out; and post retrospectives as you go. Pretty soon, you’ll have accumulated a depthful and dynamic company narrative. One that people can consume all at once by cruising your archives, or even better, one that regular readers develop as you and your story evolve.
That’s the type of company narrative that not only communicates who you are, but engages customers day after day, and brings them back for more again and again. That’s a good narrative, and that’s a good blog.
Now… is your blog telling a story?
by brianlburns on 26 April 2008
in revision
I touched on this a little in my last post, but it’s worth its own spot here: you have to revise everything. I’m serious. Nothing I write is good from the start. Well, maybe once a month I’ll nail a first draft. But all my other stuff has to go 3, 4, or even 5 drafts deep. It’s one or two drafts to get all my ideas on the page. Then, it’s another one or two to figure out what I’m actually writing about. From there, it’s another draft to get the ideas to make sense, and another to make it read right. That’s a good day too.
I always chuckle when someone gets frustrated that their first draft isn’t professional quality. That’s like putting down ten brush strokes, and expecting a masterpiece. Doesn’t work that way. I’ve written here that everybody is a writer. And I believe that. But not everyone (maybe even no one) is a writer on their first draft. You can produce top-quality copy, but if you want to, you’re going to have to revise it until it’s there.
Patience and hard work… huh, who woulda figured that?!?!
I wrote the last post about writing out loud - writing copy in a conversational style. But, as a technical tip, I didn’t really touch on the central practical question. Namely, “how does someone write out loud?”
Well, part of that is up to the writer. You have to find your own style, and your own process. However, the biggest thing that will help you ‘write out loud’ is well, writing out loud. Really. write a first draft, then read it to yourself. If you don’t want people to think you’re crazy (I’ve given up on that by now), find a secluded place to do it. Things that sounded good in your head will sound silly out loud. Things that seemed correct will sound too formal, and things that looked incorrect will sound right.
It’s said (tongue-in-cheek) that the only rule for good writing is to not start a sentence with a comma. I think there are a few more, but the point stands: write freely… write like you’d talk, and write well.
