As I watched the 2006 remake of Charlotte’s Web earlier this week, it occurred to me that Charlotte is not only a spider but also a talented copywriter. I mean, her words saved Wilbur from the slaughterhouse! How’s that for impact? Here, some of Charlotte’s lessons for writers.
Pithiness has power. Phrases like “Terrific” and “Some Pig” created a stir, because they were short and upbeat (plus, they fit the allotted space). A carefully constructed fragment can be effective.
But it has to be true. The other animals try to pressure Charlotte into using empty superlatives, but she insists that whatever she writes in the web has be to true. And she’s right. Meaningless puffery doesn’t pay off in the end, so it’s best to make sure that your copy is grounded in reality.
Everyone’s contribution counts. Charlotte knows she needs help brainstorming, so she enlists the other barnyard animals. They even convince Templeton the Rat to bring back scraps of packaging for inspiration. Sometimes creativity comes from unexpected sources.
You’re only as good as your last project. Each time Charlotte completes a web, she has to worry about how to top it so that Wilbur won’t get sold for meat. Good copywriters know that excellence is an ongoing process, and for Charlotte and Wilbur the stakes are high.
Have you learned a writing lesson from an unlikely place? Can you think of other children’s books or movies that speak to this topic?
Flickr photo courtesy of missy & the universe
Susan,
What a cute post! "Charlotte's Web" is one of my favorite books, and now I have a whole other reason to appreciate it–you're right about the important messages it teaches ALL writers!
Funny isn't it that she was writing in a web and we write on a different kind of web, but the same lessons and rules apply!
@Sara: Thanks for the comment and glad you liked the post.
@MarthaAndMe: I hadn't even thought about that aspect, but you're right. Very clever!
Funny you should write this post- When I was applying for the Jouranlism/PR program at UGA (Grady College of Mass Communications) I used that book as the example for great PR, to write my entry essay. Charlotte's Web was my very first chapter book and it made such an impression on me that I never forgot it. That spider was an excellent advocate and public relations specialist for little Wilbur. When I was accepted I was told they had never heard of such an original reason for wanting to get in to Public Relations and writing. Great post.
Loved this post. Just think of all the future writers who have been influenced by Charlotte over the years!
Love this post!
What a lovely post, Susan. It reminds me I need to go back to that wonderful book.
Susan,
I've learned many things from music and from songwriters, including
listen for the rhythm in the words
every word counts in moving your idea forward
Susan,
You are so right! I love the way you broke this down, too. What a terrific idea
Great thoughts! Very creative. You put some terrific words on your web, too!!
I haven't thought about this book in years. Must revisit!
Susan,
Great ideas here – so many parallels to writing that I would never have thought about. And this: the web looks "easy" but lots and lots of work and false starts go into it – just like writing. And, I'd imagine, each one is unique, too…
This is all so true. Sometimes saying less is more effective than saying more.
Such a clever take on writing! I'm with Stephanie–haven't thought about the book in eons, but now I want to revisit.
There's a lot to learn from this. Thanks for posting, Susan!
Susan,
Thank you for writing this blog and having all these really interesting articles! I'm glad to have found this.
Actually, you may be interested in how I found your blog… Truthfully, I found you through Google. For school we're doing a project where we find a blog about a topic we enjoy, analyze it, and then write a paper on it. I'm interested in writing, and you came up on the top 10 writing blogs. I'm glad I was able to come across your work.
You offer thought provoking posts, and they're helpful for the budding freelancer, too. I've thought about becoming a freelancer in the future, so I may be using some of these in time!
Thanks again.
Like Sara and others, I love Charlotte's Web and I love these writing (and life) lessons gleaned from it. Thanks for this awesome post!
Finding Forrester inspired me to "just write" the first draft of my memoirs. I've recently completed that initial draft and am on now to editing. The quote that helped me from this movie was "No thinking – that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is… to write, not to think! "
Hiya, so good to see the photo I took of the movie as projected on my wall
Thanks for crediting me, too!
I am getting back to blogging so I'll add you on my rss feed for inspiration!
cheers
Kirsten
no matter how many times i read the book it always makes me cry great site really informative i learned a lot great stuff keep it up