Copy-writing...this is a branch of writing that I never thought would interest me, but when I was offered the opportunity to create original content for a new psychotherapy website, I thought "Why not?" and jumped at the chance.
Copy-writing, or advertorial content provider, is basically sales writing. You are trying to create a brand and a flavour of the services or products on offer in order to draw in clients, so in this case, the services offered by a new psychotherapy practice. Copy-writing has never really appealed to me, though I know the money can be good with large companies, because my brother was a copy-writer for years. Modern day bloggers of You Tube fame are today's best known copy-writers, but it has never been on my personal list of writing goals.
However, the Muse works in mysterious ways and sometimes you get such an unexpected opportunity that it would be churlish to say no. It makes sense to have a go at any branch of writing that comes your way, because you never know where you might find your niche. I never actually set out to become a Wiccan author - it just happened that way, because I followed where the Muse led me and took the opportunities she provided.
I see this opportunity in the same light. It is a chance to write on the topic of psychotherapy and counselling, which is my new area of authorial expertise, and it also helps to build my publishing platform in this arena. Although I see it as a one off commission, it will nevertheless provide me with a point of reference for editors who are looking for psychotherapy and self-help contributors. In an industry where reputation counts more than a standard job reference, a good testimonial can be the key that opens the door to a new publishing outlet. So for that reason alone, I accepted the commission.
Starting to write in a new genre is like germinating seedlings; you have to nurture and care for the fragile shoots as they come up; you have to give them time and attention if you are going to bring them to fruition and enjoy the abundance they provide in later years.
It has been just over a year since I wrote my last Wiccan piece of work and since then I have had about half a dozen or so psychotherapy pieces published, with more in the pipeline, so I'm taking it as a sign that I was right to make the leap, because the change is manifesting naturally, to bring me work I never could have imagined a year ago. Doors are already opening for me and it reminds me of the old adage "Make the leap and the safety-net will appear".
You do have to have a body of published work in place first though, as it is unlikely that an unpublished writer, or a writer with very few by-lines to their name, would be invited to provide advertorial copy for a new business. Again, it comes down to reputation; they have to know you and trust your work before they trust you with their business, because they are after all, paying you to create for them.
For me, I see this copy-writing commission as a new feather in my writer's cap and another job title to add to my increasingly long writer's CV! I am looking forward to getting on with the commission next week and to projecting the warmth and genuine compassion of the counsellor, onto her website and from there, out into the world to the people who really need her skills.
It will be a great opportunity for me to evolve as a writer, to step out and try something completely new. All artists grow and evolve over time. As I mentioned in a previous post, we cannot keep doing the same thing over and over or the creativity will stagnate. It is important to keep moving forwards in our work, to try new things and see what comes of them. Although this copy-writing commission is a one-off and I am happy for that to be the case, I'm still thrilled that the Muse is presenting me with new opportunities and fresh challenges; and as always, I plan to follow her wherever she chooses to lead me. That is after all, how I have made a career for myself as a writer.
So follow your Muse...you just never know where she will take you, but rest assured she always has your best creative interests at heart.
You never know where your Muse will take you
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