The #1 Daily Ritual to Strengthen Your Writing and Become More Creative
Want to be a great copywriter? Then you need to be writing, every day.
For copywriters, writing is like a musician playing the scales. It's how you practice and improve.
But what if you're between projects and not writing content for yourself? How do you get in your reps?
One of the easiest ways is to start a daily journal.
Keeping a daily journal is a good habit for anyone. But for copywriters, there a bunch of writing-specific benefits:
• You strengthen your consistency muscle
• You can build a unique writing voice
• You'll learn what makes yourself tick
• Your writing becomes more conversational
• You'll take more risks in your writing (which makes it interesting)
Most copywriters won't put in the effort to journal every day. Or they'll do it sporadically, and never see the benefits of a consistent practice.
But if you want to master copywriting, journaling is one of the best things you can do. Here are some tips to help you get started:
1. Keep the Bar Low
There are days when I don't want to journal. Maybe I stayed up too late the night before, or whatever. And my head feels foggy and distracted.
So what do I do on those days? I write nonsense. Literally. I sit down, make a new journal entry, and just keep typing on my keyboard, moving my fingers on the keys and putting words on the screen. It can be stream of consciousness weirdness, or it can be me writing something like "here I am, I'm writing again, I'm typing and moving my fingers here, good work." It doesn't matter. What matters is you show up and put in the reps.
By the time you get to around 250 words, you'll find a groove. Your mind will clear, and you'll start writing about things that are more germane to your life. Like what you did yesterday and how you felt about it, what you plan to do today, how you felt about a book you're reading, etc.
2. Have a Specific Word Count
I aim for 500 words every day. It's short enough to not feel like a burden, and long enough to take sustained effort. The sustained effort is important. Because that's what clears your head when you're grouchy and groggy in the morning. That “stretch” is where you build endurance.
If you're just starting out, you could shoot for 250 words, or just 100 words. Then bump it up each week, until you’ve found your sweet spot. If you're ambitious, 750 words is a popular number to aim for (probably thanks to 750words.com). And if you prefer to write by hand, Julia Cameron from the Artist's Way recommends writing 3 pages each day.
3. Keep it Fun
Don’t make your journal into a 1-dimensional self-improvement tool. Don't limit yourself to writing about your life goals, or your plans for the day. Both of those are fine, but also make time to think bigger.
Think of your journal like a canvas, where you're free to try different writing styles and perspectives. Who is your favorite writer? Try writing like them for a couple paragraphs. Make it super exaggerated and over the top. You'll engrain their style just a bit, and give yourself permission to use it just a bit in your own client work or published writing.
4. Be Extremely Honest
Now for the flip-side of what I just said. If you’re dealing with something difficult, to the point where it crowds out your ability to explore and be playful in your journal, then write about what’s bothering you.
As a copywriter, you should have no illusions about the nature of human urges and desires, including your own. When something tough comes up, write it down. Be brave and explore it to the roots. This is how you start to understand yourself at a deep level.
Your emotional "scripts'' are unique to you. But in a deeper sense they are universal, just variations on a theme. So when you understand your own tendencies, you can recognize them in other people... and that will make you a better copywriter.
5. Ritualize It
When writing in your journal starts to feel like a ritual, that's when you know it's becoming a long-term habit. There are some ways you can enhance this ritual aspect.
For example, I have a few "stock phrases" I use in my journal. I usually start each entry with: "Boom, here we are. It's {time} on {day}, {date}. I'm sitting here at {location} and I'm feeling {how I feel}." Nothing too fancy. But I’ve been using this phrase for so long, it has become a powerful trigger. It tells my brain, "the day is underway, and it’s time to let the creative juices flow."
I also have a signoff phrase, that's a little too weird/personal to share here just yet. But once I get to around 500 words, I write this signoff phrase, then list out three things I’m grateful for. It's the perfect way to wrap things up. Journaling can be an exercise in egotism, and that’s okay. But listing out the things I’m grateful for helps me recenter, and get ready to start the day in earnest.
Final Thought
In the age of AI, writers who cling to by-the-numbers templates will be phased out. The bots are too good, cheap, and fast. But there will always be a place for creative, discerning copywriters with a distinct style. That's another reason why starting a journal is an excellent idea.
When you're ready, here's how I can help you:
- If you're a business owner and need help dialing in your next marketing campaign or launch, feel free to reach out and share some details. You can contact me here: https://conversionflow.net/