Friday, February 25, 2011

GET IT, GOT IT, GOOD

WARNING!
Bad writing is cropping up in your town!
“No!” my musing is urging. “It’s a no- no to rant on blogs.”
It’s OK to rant in this case because…
The copy I’m ranting about is radio copy.
More specifically—local radio copy.
As mentioned in my profile, I’m a voiceover talent…
(No, there is no hyphen in voiceover)
To do a voiceover, I first read the copy and interpret it…
I then deliver the message to an audience I picture in my mind.
That’s why doing a voiceover is sometimes called…
Voice “acting” because radio is “theater of the mind.”
I love to use my voice (20+) to act/read copy…
But what I’m confronted with in many cases (like yesterday)…
Is dull, lifeless, unimaginative—BORING—copy!
Like something a principal would read over the intercom.
Well, perhaps you’re thinking, who cares?
It’s just a stupid commercial and it’ll be over in 30 or 60 seconds. 
Well, for one, someone’s paying for this commercial. What a waste.
Two, I care. Question is, why doesn't the copywriter care?
And three, why should radio listeners be subjected to mediocrity?
in fact, no reader should be subjected to mediocrity.
That’s why when I roam the bookstores…
And finally select and buy a book with an intriguing cover and jacket copy…
I’m damn glad that particular author’s writing passed the mediocre test…
By literary agents and editors.
And that’s why when agents say they get thousands of query letters…
But only accept a few…
I get it!

Always, Em-Musing

6 comments:

Elena Solodow said...

I love your new header! The problem is that most people don't know what good writing is. It is a shame that a company's spending money on advertising that's only going to drive people away.

Anne Gallagher said...

I'm glad you got my concept of mediocrity. I couldn't get to your blog this morning, crashed and burned.

Hmmm. Great minds and all.

Jill Kemerer said...

Your voiceover work fascinates me! And I love that you care. I do too. Good writing is vital to life!

Joanne said...

What a different take on words you are lucky to have, doing voiceovers! I'd imagine doing them gives you an additional perspective on crafting words on the page, too.

Talli Roland said...

How cool that you do voice-over. I imagine it must be rather annoying when you have to read poorly written copy.

Idiot Cook said...

Ha! I feel your pain. I used to work in radio and there was A LOT of crap on the air. Of course, much of the crap was written by stretched-too-thin production directors who weren't writers. (I enjoy writing radio copy -- I love the conversational style and the whole theater of the mind.) Hope the next spots you voice have better copy!