Mark Tredinnick - The Little Red Writing Book-University of New South Wales Press (2006)

time it’s read; and it’s not just what it means but the way it means
that holds or loses your reader.The message is in the music. So make
a beautiful noise.
Still, writing isn’t song exactly. If it’s music, it’s more Beatles
than Beethoven; it’s more Hank Williams or Paul Kelly than Puccini.
Of all the arts writing is the most vulgar—the least like an art.
It makes art out of something everybody does daily: out of words,
out of speech, out of what we use to buy the paper and scold the
children and write the report. The best writing sounds just like
speech, only better.
Here is an everyday piece of marketing copy. Nothing special
about it. But its writer has taken a lot of care with it—to vary each
sentence, to make it speak, to inflect it with humour, to make it
personal and engaging. It’s not a song, but it has been rehearsed:
Cherubs has been dreaming up heavenly garments for earthly angels
since 1997. Its ‘Divine’ range of baby clothes—available in Moonlight
White, Starlight Yellow, Purely Pink and Celestial Blue—uses a
unique layering system that makes it ideal for all terrestrial seasons
and climates. In the warm months, dress your little cherub in a
singlet body suit; when the weather cools, add matching long pants
and a cosy hooded jacket. But Cherubs understands that clothes alone
don’t maketh the bub. On their website, you’ll find stylish nursery
furniture and accessories, toys, all-natural skincare products, belly
mask kits for mum, books, photo frames ... So many things, you’ll
think it’s baby heaven on earth. But be warned: you could spend your
Baby Bonus all in one hit.
Those people who write the notes on Fantale wrappers know how
to do it, too. Notice how much information they cram in here, while
always keeping it chatty:
Born 21.7.78. When the handsome actor said he wanted to be a
movie star, his father sat him down to watch old Jimmy Stewart
movies to help him learn the craft. He tried out six times for TV’s
Dawson’s Creek before landing a role in short-lived series Cracker.
Like many aspiring actors, he debuted in a slasher flick, Halloween
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