Just as great fiction isart, so is great copywriting. Beneathart, however, there'sfoundation of basic knowledge and skills. The craft that goes into your writing.

Craft comes first. Art follows.

You learncraft of writing by educating yourself, byactual process of writing (the doing), and by reading incessantly. Every successful writer will tell you that reading has been and still iscornerstone of developing his craft.

Reading presents you withwritten illustration of what works and what doesn't, of what you like aswriter and what you do not. It helps you understandpossibilities, and offers practical instruction of howrules of your craft are used.

Most writers, when they start out, mimic their favorite authors. I havefriend who became incredibly adept at writing like Stephen King. For several years, everything I wrote hadRay Bradbury flavor.

Eventually, we developed our own styles, which were richer for having first gone through this mimic stage.

The point is this: part of any effective learning process is to mimic what has been successful before you.

This is true of copywriting, too. And it'sreason you need to start"swipe" file if you want to becomesuccessful copywriter.

What is"swipe" file? It's exactly what it sounds like ...file of great copywriting examples that you've collected, studied, and can access whenever you're in need oflittle inspiration. These are not examples meant to be plagiarized. You aren't copying work here; you're adapting it to your own copywriting needs.

For example ... suppose you're writingsales letter forInternet site that sellsexpensive men's wristwatch and you're in need ofgreat headline. You search through your "swipe" file and findsales letter for The Oxford Club (actually taken from my own "swipe" file) withheadline: A Man's Right To Wealth. How To Master Every Situation And Prosper On A Grand Scale.

You toy around with it and come up with this: A Man's Right To Elegance. How To Impress In Every Situation With A Watch That Does Far More Than Keep Accurate Time.

See howgood "swipe" file can help?

You can use it to adapt opening sentences. Orlayout ofsales letter. Orguarantee you or your client offers. Evenpace oremotional "tug" ofpiece.

By using your "swipe" file, your creative juices are instantly flowing. There's no blank page. You already have something to work with. And as any good writer will tell you, it's easier to edit than it is to write.

So where do you getmaterial for your "swipe" file?

The quickest and easiest source isInternet. Start checking out website sales letters. Print them out. Good or bad (evenbad ones can inspire your work). Study them. And keep them close by inhandy file.

The other great source is from mailing lists. If you're already onfew lists, then start filing those pitches away when they arrive instead of tossing them out. If you're not onlist, try purchasingproduct or asking forcatalog. It will not be long before you're onnumber of lists and your "swipe" file is growing exponentially.

Two good places to get started are: Publisher's Clearing House, onezeroone Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY oneonezerofivezero; and Nightingale-Conant, seventhreezerozero N. Leigh Avenue, Chicago, IL sixzerosixfoureight.

Try them both. Try any others that come to mind, as well. Just start building your "swipe" today!

This article was posted on August twozero, twozerozerothree