Comments on: Safe Versus Good

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 19:29:16 +0000

Hey, John! Good seeing you here. :)

Part of it is our ability to convince them that 3rd person doesn't work. Sometimes they're just stubborn, though. In those cases, I advise against it, make recommendations, then cash the check. If they don't want to change, there's not much I can do.

By: John Broberg

John Broberg — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 18:57:49 +0000

Third person, dry, dull, and boring is how companies want things. It's the lawyers running the show. If a piece of writing acknowledges a real person behind the words, then "somebody" could be liable.

By: Paula

Paula — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:21:49 +0000

I was the accidental anonymous poster there, Lori. So much for letting the autofill add my name.

The textbook in question is The Literature of England, published by Scott, Foresman and Company. It's been around forever, apparently. I have the 3rd single volume edition, but the original publiction date was in the early 50s. (I guess when covering the classics, not a lot changes over the decades.)

Sections include: The middle Ages, The Renaissance, The Restoration and the 18th C, The Romantic Period, The Victorian Age, and The modern Period. Each section starts with maybe 10-15 pages outlining the history, politics and culture of that period before focusing on the literature one writer at a time, introducing each sub-section with a fairly detailed bio of the writer being featured.

Not only is the textbook a great compendium of Brit Lit, it provides context for the works you're studying.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:03:42 +0000

Actually, it's a compilation of American literature. But I'd love to know what you're reading!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 21:53:07 +0000

I bet that's the same Brit Lit compilation I hung on to from my college days!

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 19:32:01 +0000

Devon, exactly. I'm a punchy writer. I can do that and be brief. However, if you tell me to dumb it down and assume the reader is either too busy or too uneducated, you've lost two things - your audience and your writer.

Great example, Paula. I'm all for a great textbook, but how many are there? Really? I have ONE from all my years in college. It's a literature collection, naturally, but it's comprehensive and stuffed with bios that make the stories more enjoyable.

By: Paula

Paula — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:47:44 +0000

I think some people equate simple with dull, or think direct is all Joe Friday - just the facts. They somehow overlook the fact that no one wants to read something dry or boring.

You wouldn't read a textbook if not for a class assignment (even homework can't make some people read textbooks), but you might read a well-written biography or non-fiction title.

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:28:50 +0000

If it doesn't capture me in the first few sentences, I'm outta there. Not interested in bland writing. More companies have lost my business (as a consumer) because of bland writing than anything else (except for celebrity endorsement, which is pretty much a guarantee I won't buy something).

i think one can write simple, direct copy without being bland. It's when they want bland that I, as a writer, start looking for other clients.