Emotional Shorthand
"Is a cliché bad for your letter? Nope, because a cliché turns a light on inside your reader's mind. Avoiding clichés leaves the reader in darkness." — Jerry Huntsinger
Avoid clichés like the plague, says the old writer's joke.
It's good advice, but it's mostly directed at beginning writers. Its point is to teach mental discipline: to force the neophyte to think about the words he or she uses and not rely on trite phrases as a substitute for original ideas.
- Categories:
- Creative
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.
