Like every other child, even I used to dream about being an astronaut when I grow up. I used to fantasize about going in the space where earth seemed like a colorful crazy ball and stars looked like giant balls of fire. But like every kid around me, that dream was lost. Instead of choosing a profession that could help me go to space, I chose a profession that required signals to be transmitted, Media. I never thought that I could write, I always thought I was a boring writer who never got good marks in English essay writing and who always wrote clichéd stuff. But after sitting unemployed at home for 1 month, I tried my hand at content writing. Initially I was little hesitant but as I progressed, I realized even I could do it. I realized that content writing means far more than just writing. Here are a few aspects of content writing profession that I have explored during my 2 month long profession as a content writer. Most of these aspects are elusive to a majority of people.

• Content writing is not about making tricky sentences loaded with heavy vocabulary, but about building new relationships with the usual simple and colloquial words. This is because as every other media, content is also targeted at masses; hence it needs to have a language, a style that is comprehendible by all.

• Content writing doesn’t require just knowledge of language, but it requires you to be observant about everything that is happening across you. As a content writer one comes across myriad projects where you have to write for individuals as well as businesses from various industries. You are expected to speak your customer’s language; hence it is very important that you have a wide scope of knowledge about various industries and businesses.

• Content writing also requires research and analysis. I was a little surprised when my boss told me that every creative job requires a thorough research and analysis of the objectives of a project and now after having experienced it myself, I couldn’t have agreed more. I have come to realize that as a writer you would need to know the aims and the target audience for a particular project to articulate it successfully. An extensive research will be required to understand you client’s industry and the target audience’s psyche, only then you can match their pulse and grasp them through your content.

I never believed in this, but now I think everyone of us can write, the only pre requisite for it is to put your soul into each and every word that you write. I have enjoyed my last two months as a content writer and never felt exhausted after a day’s work, because as they say, if you love thy labour, you would never get tired of it.

If there were no language, life would have had no meaning. If the world is a huge body, then language is its soul. Language forms the very basis of communication. Similarly when a piece of writing is being scripted, then language has to be given top priority. Language is the catalyst which helps in the formation of connections, influencing people and forwarding opinions. Language is one of the most destructive weapons if used in a wrong way as it has the power to divide people, create differences and instigate riots.

Whenever a writer starts crafting something creative or factual, the first thing that needs to b taken care of is language and its essence. It has the ability to convey thoughts, feelings and emotions in a very obtrusive manner and connects with the reader at once. It has a very strapping effect and hence its usage has to be done in a very delicate manner. Good language makes the simplest of things look so innovative and spectacular and bad language has the ability to massacre the delight of words which would make the book look nothing less than the bible.

The hallmark of language is that it sees no culture, cast, creed and race and is available for everyone to learn and use. No person can be stopped from using the various forms of language prevalent in the society and is given complete freedom for expression. Language does not adhere to any boundary nor does it carry any stipulation. It can be considered divine as it gives life a meaning and can be considered disaster as it also inflicts pain and misery in a very terrible mode.

So be it spoken or written, one needs to make sure that the usage of language should be subtle or volatile depending on the situation as the effects can both be pleasant and repentant.

It has been quite a while since I have been writing articles for the Internet. I have covered almost all the topics under the sun and at the cost of being labeled pompous; I think I can call myself a complete writer. But I was recently told that there is still some way to cover before I even earn the title, ‘amateur writer’. This comment has drained out all the enthusiasm that walked with me hand in hand. I argued but to no avail. So let me tell you all about the factor which taught me that life is not that easy and the road is quite long.

A colleague asked me whether I have ever written small articles for online promotions of an idea or a product. I was puzzled? Now where did this come from? Okay, I told him to explain. This was new to me. Advertisers get their products promoted from writers who write short descriptions high on impact which are targeted at the attention of potential customers. Wow, so does that mean that I am obsolete? Does that signify that whatever I have written till date is being counted as zilch? No, it is not like that. I will not let that happen. I have done this before but not the exact way in which it is supposed to be done. Of late I have been writing articles which require heavy and power packed promotion. To be quite honest, I have also started emphasizing on the actuality that it requires efficient marketing, something to which the user connects and responds in an authentic way.

So for the meanwhile, I am happy with being labeled as an ‘amateur’, but hey, never count me out. You never know when I may take you off guard.

It becomes quite tough a task to write something which really enthralls the reader and shakes him off his seat. Very few writers succeed in doing that. The daunting job of preparing a magnum opus gets to our head and deteriorates the level of performance. For a writer to understand what works with the reader is half the job done. All that needs to be done is the successful execution of those factors which will make the piece of writing automatically work with the readers. So here are three points which will help all the aspiring writers understand the psyche of the reader and captivate his interest.

1) Accentuate on significant points: The vital facts which form the base of a story need to be highlighted and nicely written. All the important factors need to be stressed upon as they are the ones which will determine the kind of impact that the user has been inflicted to. Such points exploit the depth in the story and tell the readers its importance. The main points always have a huge impact on them.

2) Make use of catchy headlines and introductory notes: Headlines which are highly creative always play their part in the article or the blog’s success. There are times when readers are in a great hurry and do not have time to read the whole thing, a headline which summarizes the whole story in one line conveys the message to the readers. Introductory notes, the first three to four lines in a piece of writing, also helps restless readers a great deal in understanding the story without having to go through the whole thing.

3) Be concise; do not beat around the bush: Whatever you write, make sure that it is relevant. The crux of the story should be given emphasis instead of the whole background. Readers like crisp stories. As a writer if you are able to give them what they want to read, then your purpose is done. Never exaggerate anything as your credibility might be questioned and never underplay anything that needs to be highlighted. Just by increasing the number of words and the length of the article, you will not be able to carve a niche. Readers want appropriate content.

Now before I start explaining the exact nature of my work, let me tell you that Copywriting is a serious business. Copywriters do not sit and write stories throughout the day but write a lot of relevant stuff that people read in journals, magazines, websites, brochures and other forms of media on a daily basis.

The job of a copywriter is to use words in a certain way for the promotion of an individual, an idea, a business or product. A copywriter works for all types of media and is not limited to any form. The basic purpose of copywriting is to promote something in a written manner so that the reader can be persuaded to buy a particular commodity or to subscribe to a perspective.

Copywriting can appear anywhere from web pages to online ads, from e-mails to scripts, from press releases to catalogs and from billboards to brochures. When copywriting is done for the internet, the type of writing becomes very keyword specific and these keywords are often used a lot of times to increase the awareness of a proposal. Copywriting involves playing with words all the time. A person has to be very fluent while writing to flourish as a copywriter. An extensive knowledge of the language helps in creation of phrases and sentences that are very high on impact which highlight the capabilities of good copywriting. The job of good content writing is considered to be one of the most difficult jobs as the writer needs to be aware about everything.

Content writers usually write on a diverse range of topics and have different styles of writing. Apart from the content that is to be written, a responsible content writer also needs to take care of the structure of the copy, the design and the efficiency of the language. There are a lot of parameters which need to be considered to produce a successful copy. To excel in content writing, one needs to have a flair for writing and only then is it possible that the final draft of the copy is appreciated.

Ever thought what would happen to a copywriter when he is sent by his boss to a company which sells health insurance policies? If you have never thought of such a situation, let me tell you about my story. A couple of months ago when I was very new to work, my boss gave me an assignment to work in which I had to prepare the content for a brochure. The brochure was about a healthcare plan which was being launched by a health insurance company, which I had never heard of. Excited I was with the thought that my boss thought of me as a talented and reliable young guy who could handle such a task. But had I foreseen the misery that was about to come my way, I would have at least argued with him regarding a few things (I am not saying fighting because I had to do it anyway. I am being paid for it, remember!!!).

Much to my dismay, I was told to go and meet the client whose workplace was at Gurgaon. In the month of August, the sun god develops a very tyrannical attitude towards New Delhi as the city keeps burning throughout the afternoon in heat. My boss was generous enough to lend me his car so that I did not have a problem commuting in the sweltering heat. To be honest, his generosity took me by surprise. So here I was thrilled about my first meeting with a client. The roads of Delhi are such that even a skilled driver would start scratching his head because of frustration. Being a mediocre driver myself, I somehow managed to reach the office on time, fully prepared for a rendezvous with the assistant vice president of the company.

The problem with this lady was that whatever I wrote was rejected just like those defective mobile phones which are sent for replacement. Sometimes one is left with no choice except for enduring the misery that one never thinks of. I was in such situation. But I have always been brave, ready for challenges. I felt like a zombie put on auto-pilot who was simply supposed to follow instructions. We called it a day in the evening and I left. Petrified at her audacity, I was really taken aback when I was told that she wanted me to come back every day to finish everything as if judgment day was nearing and she would be heavily penalized for not performing her obligations properly. What initially started as content for brochure snowballed into something which I had never expected. She wanted me to write content for the website that the company was launching. I was left perplexed and felt like a wounded soldier who was left to the dogs. My gut feeling kept telling me that she had full plans to take me on a royal ride. A week had gone by and I kept going to Gurgaon for her work. That is when my boss and I decided that it was high time that we put our feet down and make our intentions clear. I would not be going there anymore. Whatever had to be done would be done from our office.

The saga is not finished. The company where she works is planning to launch another plan. I have been given the responsibility to prepare content for that. Work is still in progress so there is not much to write about as of now. But, wait. Keep watching out for more. I am not finished with this yet!!!