Before I began my career as a writer in marketing, I wrote creatively. For many years I had never even dreamed of picking up a pen or reading a book, until one fateful evening…
It was a dark and stormy night…and there was no internet! And to make matters even worse my Xbox had the dreaded ‘Red Ring of Death!’ The horror!
So, what was a guy to do? I sat down, I opened a word document, and I started writing poetry – the rest is history.
But what does this have to do with you?
In this article, I’d like to highlight some creative writing exercises that helped me improve my content creation game – and I urge you to give them a try as well.
Let’s get to it…
Write a letter to your younger self!
The first creative writing exercise to try is writing a letter to your younger self. Not only is this a very cathartic exercise, but it can benefit your content creation game as well.
Know your audience!
What advice would your younger self benefit the most from?
This style of writing can help you get into the mind of your audience and craft your message accordingly.
Writing poetry
Writing poetry is an excellent intellectual pursuit that can help you sharpen your tools considerably.
While I love writing free-form poetry and prose because I enjoy the freedom of being able to find my own style, it is actually the rule-based poetry that you should try in this case.
There are many poetry community websites where you can take part in various free contests with very specific rules. For example:
- Write a Haiku based on a picture prompt.
- Write a poem about Life in 25-words or less.
- Write a Sonnet about your earliest memory.
The options are endless and when you are working to a strict character limit or structure, you really have to get creative!
The best part? It’s a fun way to express yourself and craft beautiful and powerful messaging with brevity.
Write a fake advert / improve existing ads from recognised brands
Another excellent creative writing challenge that can help you improve your content (and copywriting) game is writing fake adverts.
Look at some recognised brands and examine their existing adverts. What would you do better? Is there a certain word you would replace? Would you change everything entirely?
In fact, you could even consider trying this tactic when pitching new clients. For example, if you wanted to snatch up a writing gig with an SEO agency in Abu Dhabi, for example, you could try rewriting some ads from some big brand names and include them as part of your application.
Pitch your products or services to fictional characters
Are there any fictional characters you believe might enjoy your products or services?
- Would Jack Dawson from the Titanic be partial to a Paddle Board?
- Perhaps Frodo Baggins could use some Indestructible Socks for the long journey to Mordor?
- Or maybe Barbie could use a nice, comfortable pair of Flats so she can take the strain off her heels!
Use your imagination and have some fun! Get into the minds of these different characters and think about how you could put together a compelling pitch they might resonate with.
Conclusion: Your imagination is your biggest asset
As a writer in marketing, your biggest asset is your imagination. Yes, there are rules to follow when producing blog posts and product descriptions, however, that doesn’t mean you should give up with your creative writing.
With these creative writing exercises, not only will you have a lot of fun (especially on those rainy days when there’s no internet and you have nothing better to do), but it will definitely help you sharpen your tools and improve your content creation craft!
