I'm sure you have heard the expression "kill your darlings" before, but do you know what it means? In the advertising industry, it's one of the golden rules, we as copywriters live by. It simply means, to not fall prey to too many clichés and to remove what your own favorite thing to to say is. Instead we want to create something new and unique, and most of all, to ensure that the company you are communicating a message for, gets to have its own voice. The best copywriting is, when you can't discern who the copywriter was, but when the message of the company becomes strong and authentic in itself.
So, how do we kill our darlings? Go through what you have written one more time and remove duplicates, or empty phrases, that you just want to put out for show. Dare to be more specific, and polish your vocabulary to become more succinct. Decide what your scope is and stick to it. This in the advertising business is referred to as having a concept. This is also why you might notice changes in my blogs and webpages from time to time. It's me clearing up, streamlining and improving. Less blurbing and more focus.
A really good benefit doing this, like with all cleaning, is also that we make space for new things to be created, and increase flow.
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