You might think it fun to derive beer writing advice from Hamlet, but two myths might be holding you back from taking it seriously.

Let’s say you agree with me that Hamlet’s advice to actors can apply also to beer writers searching for their online voice. And let’s say that you further agree with me that you should seek the right balance between showy wordiness and bland formality, and that good writing can reveal things in its “Nature Mirror” capacity.

You would then have some simple, pretty solid advice for negotiating the line between writing off the cuff and writing to some “professional” script in your mind.

You might, however, also be thinking a couple things that, to my mind, will make it difficult to really internalize the melancholy Dane’s insights. I want to address them under the headings of myths because I think these thoughts refer to mental stories we hold about what the world is like, stories that are not necessarily true or accurate. The first I’ll call the Myth of Natural Writing. The second: the Myth of Deceptive Advertising.

#1: The Myth of Natural Writing

You might think the best writing voice to create the Nature Mirror would be your “natural” writing voice. That sounds great, except for one big problem:

There’s no such thing.

Think about it: we aren’t born knowing how to write, and writing comes relatively late in the history of our species—after drawing, certainly. We are probably born knowing how to communicate, and thus we can learn innately how to read signs such as facial expressions and, eventually, writing, but writing itself had to be invented and still has to be learned.

We’re so immersed in it that it’s easy to forget; that’s why I developed a little proverb that I used to tell students:

The hardest thing about writing is that it’s so easy.

That is, we learn to do it when we’re five, so we assume there’s not that much to it. But it’s a tool, and as with any tool, there are techniques for using it and a wide range of mastery of it. There is no natural writing because writing is not natural.

That’s why Shakespeare/Hamlet can say that theater holds the mirror up to nature despite the fact that Shakespeare’s style is itself clearly not “natural.” Writing isn’t natural, but used well it can show us right from wrong, good from bad, real from fake. It can resonate so that we say, “Yeah, it’s just like that.”

What we might call “natural” writing is really more of a technique of style by which an author convinces us that he or she is comfortable and competent with his or her subject matter.

The best copy doesn’t rely on showy language or cute jokes and wordplay to tell your brand’s story. That kind of writing winds up losing your readers. If they’re visiting your site, their eyes may glaze over, or, worse, they may leave your site altogether. If they’re at the store, they might decide your brewery isn’t serious about beer and put the bottle back down on the shelf.

#2: The Myth of Deceptive Advertising

The other problematic thing that might bother you when you read that good writing should hold a mirror up to nature is that the kind of writing associated with advertising is meant not to reveal the world but to manipulate your reader.

I say this in part because I think it myself. I’ve seen my share of commercials, read my share of magazine ads. I know that a lot of what passes for advertising attempts to get me to buy something out of fear, anxiety, envy, social pressure, or other unhealthy motives.

That puts me in a funny spot when I have to write things to advertise myself. I don’t want to manipulate my audience, but I feel like that’s what advertising is.

That’s malarkey, of course. If you have a good product, you need to tell people about it and explain why they should buy it. Advertising, of course, can manipulate, but the best stuff, the stuff that leads to the purchases I feel the best about, legitimately informs, educates, and persuades me. It is often entertaining and creative. It is rarely direct and boring.

It is never deceptive.

The way I learned to write persuasive copy from my author and podcast gurus always assumes three things:

1. You have a product or service that offers people real value
2. You respect your audience and want to maintain their high esteem
3. Therefore, you only want to sell your product to people who might actually appreciate it and be likely to buy it again.

Good marketing focuses on how your product solves a problem for your audience. Deception is only likely to irritate them, or, worse, turn them against you. It happens to me all the time when I have to eat fast food. Their marketing emphasizes taste, but they’re mostly good for being fast and low-cost. If I fall for the promise of great flavor, I am generally disappointed and annoyed at having spent even the little that I did.

The Takeaway

To write, as Hamlet advises, “trippingly on the tongue,” and somewhere between flowery and formal, and “naturally” and honestly may all start to seem more difficult than what you’ve been doing, and thus possibly discouraging. But I don’t think that’s the best lesson, and here’s why:

1. Even the best writers keep learning. You are not an exception. Writing is a skill that you can improve upon each time you sit down to do it. Just take little steps.
2. The best writing is honest writing. If you keep your values and priorities in view, it will help you avoid some of the worst marketing errors.
3. You can always find a competent professional to help. I know a guy, actually. You can contact him here.

Image credit: KlausHausmann/Pixabay