Dusty Chunks of Plaster Lit by a Bare Light Bulb
5. Convey emotion through action
Which is more powerful: “I was incredibly sad,” or, “I put my fingers against the glass and bowed my head and cried”?
6. Be willing to be uncomfortable
“If you don’t cry while you’re writing it, the reader won’t cry while she’s reading it,” says romance writer Debbie Macomber (amazing the places you can find good advice, huh?). But it’s true. You can’t fake other people’s emotions any better than you can fake your own. It takes real empathy to try and communicate someone’s pain or fear or relief or jubilation. So be brave, and take the risk of really imagining what it feels like to be the person you’re writing about.
Willis Turner believes great writing has the power to change minds, save lives, and make people want to dance and sing. Willis is the creative director at Huntsinger & Jeffer. He worked as a lead writer and creative director in the traditional advertising world for more than 15 years before making the switch to fundraising 20 years ago. In his work with nonprofit organizations and associations, he has written thousands of appeals, renewals and acquisition communications for every medium. He creates direct-response campaigns, and collateral communications materials that get attention, tell powerful stories and persuade people to take action or make a donation.
