I used to tell people I was a copywriter and then they’d look at me funny. I knew they were not hearing the “er” part. Copyright? © Like do you protect them? The explanation was way too long so I started telling people I was a writer and then they’d look at me all googly-eyed. Ooh, like an author? You write for magazines? The newspaper? It was sad to disappoint them with the truth (even though I do occasionally write books and for magazines). So then I started to say I’m a direct marketing writer. Brows crinkled as I explained that there’s a type of advertising writing that is meant to elicit a response from the reader. I write the message for a specific reader. The reader reads the message. The message makes the reader do something. Direct marketing. This was a conversation that often took way longer than an elevator ride. So I eventually morphed to freelance writer. Ok, now we’re onto something. The freelance part people got. Even freelance copywriter made more sense for some reason. I was beginning to think that I could attach freelance to any word and there would be this instant understanding that I was running my own my business.
Ever wonder why a register mark is control R on the keyboard, but a copyright symbol is control G? These are the things that a freelance lover of words wants to know.