As the mother of a near-11-month old, Winnie-the-Pooh is a constant presence in my life these days. The other day, as I listened to my husband read The Tao of Pooh to my daughter, I came across a concept that I found could help the often deadline-pressured copywriter.

In The Tao of Pooh, author Benjamin Hoff discussed “the uncarved block.” And he equated Pooh to the uncarved block – unrefined, simplistic and solid. Pooh, unlike the very “wise” owl (another Winnie-the-Pooh character, for any of you who are not familiar), does not profess to know everything. And the daily activities of his life – finding “hunny,” playing with Christopher Robin, enduring a “blustery” day – are governed by his instinct. Because Pooh’s life is uncluttered and simple, there is room in his life for him to explore new things.

In a world of marketing strategy, brand development and conversion, it may seem virtually impossible to approach anything an uncarved block – especially a writing assignment. As marketing copywriters, we are responsible for providing copy that presents our clients in the best possible light, striving for that perfect headline to pull in the reader, and that perfect copy that will engage them. But the path to the finished project can be quite thorny if our minds get cluttered with trying to perfect every word as we go.

In my experience, if I can approach each project as the uncarved block – unrefined, simplistic and solid – and follow my instinct (based in my experience as a writer) and focus on covering the basics of the assignment, then the process is far better. In my writing, the goal of my first draft is to create the uncarved block. Then, when I walk away from the copy for a day or two (or at least a few hours) and come back to it, I am better able to “carve” the copy, or dress it up, as an editor than I would have been able to accomplish as a writer attempting to edit myself as I wrote my first draft.

So, if your frustration cup runneth over as you are writing, take the road of the uncarved block – start with the basics and go back in to refine the details later. And if you, the writer, can view your role in your organization as the uncarved block writer – well then, you open yourself to a new world of possiblities.

But then, that’s an entirely different coversation, now isn’t it? Happy writing!

Be Sociable, Share!

•