As cases of coronavirus continue to propagate around the world, it’s becoming more apparent that limiting social contact and working from home is probably the most prudent option – at least until doctors and scientists can establish a firmer grasp over the epidemic.
However, with the economy stunted and clients cutting back on advertising budgets, work can get a little slow for professional scribes – combine this with being stuck at home and you have a recipe for boredom, restlessness and unproductive guilt. Are you a copywriter desperately searching for ways to keep occupied (that don’t involve “becoming one” with the sofa)? Have a peek at how we Wordsmiths keep ourselves occupied at home on a rainy day (or in this case, a coronavirus monsoon).
Visit Wordsmith’s Word of the Day for a daily dose of vibrant vocabulary!
The hunt for new vocabulary
The average adult’s vocabulary contains between 20,000 to 35,000 words. Although copywriters’ vocabularies aren’t significantly larger than average, they are typically the first person in the room to be consulted when an unfamiliar word appears. Don’t let your pride take a hit – build your lexicon!
Whether you’re bingeing on a Netflix series or skimming through the latest news reports, build your word bank by writing down any new words you come across. Imagine the excitement of hearing a new word while you are strewn across the couch, elbow deep in a bag of chips – which happened while this writer was watching Better Call Saul on Netflix. When the term “Svengali” was used to describe a character, our copywriting curiosity provided enough motivation to go dust off a dictionary.
The noun “Svengali” is defined as “a person who manipulates or exerts control over another”. Is it a word that we’ll use commonly? Not quite, but it’s certainly a cool synonym for “puppeteer”. Since the term is primarily used in a negative context, it can describe a malicious brand, politician or even a crooked lawyer pulling on the heartstrings of their audiences.
OP-EDs are insightful reads for learning about how other writers structure their arguments – they are also handy for keeping up with the latest conversational topics!
What’s your opinion?
As you go about your day, you’re inevitably going to come across bits of news that may interest and/or shock you (eg. an unforeseen betrayal of your favourite drama’s protagonist or the nationwide shutdown of Italy to quarantine the coronavirus epidemic). Naturally, you’re going to have some opinions about such subjects – instead of burying them away in your thoughts, write them down! Establish a clear structure and lay out your points as if you were writing an article for a client:
The topic
Do you agree or disagree with it?
What is your reason for the above?
Can you provide evidence or rationale?
Against someone of the opposition, what sort of points would they bring up and how could you refute them?
This exercise is a fine way to keep your writing wits sharp while staying on top of the latest news. After you feel comfortable enough writing these, hop onto your local newspaper’s opinion piece section to see what other contributors are saying about contemporary issues – then try your hand at rebutting their opinions (preferably on a subject that you care about). Most newspapers accept rebuttal pieces, so feel free to submit your letter to the editor. You never know who may come across your writing!
Bringing back the routine
One of the greatest disadvantages of working from home is that there is no one else to monitor your progress (it could also be a blessing, depending on your perspective). While slacking occasionally can actually help with productivity and creativity, your “10-minute break” can quickly devolve into a YouTube binge session once the threat of a supervisor skulking around is removed.
The best way to avoid excessive procrastination is to set a routine that follows a typical day at the office (replacing the time normally spent commuting with a few extra winks of sleep). During the designated work hours, it’s up to you to keep focused on your work – children’s book author Roald Dahl followed such a routine every day for 45 years, and even though he didn’t have someone breathing down his neck, he believed any worthwhile writer must have perseverance and grit to push through and prioritise their work.
Some might argue, “Roald Dahl didn’t have to suffer from the temptations of YouTube like we do today,” which is very true, but Dahl could’ve just as easily stopped writing and started doodling on his notepad instead. If you don’t trust yourself enough to stay focused, you can always take drastic measures – like using the Chrome extension StayFocused to lock out “problem” websites (YouTube, Instagram and Facebook come to mind). Be warned though, once the lock is in place, you cannot access them again until time is up! With your sites locked, you’ll have no choice but to get back to work (or look for a new time-sucking website).
It’s easy to treat working from home as an impromptu vacation, but unless your pay got slashed entirely, it’s important to remember that you are still working on company time – no boss wants to find out that their employees are being paid to slack off! Even if work is slow or we’re stuck within the confines of home, there are still plenty of ways to improve ourselves and our abilities as writers.