I understand that some copywriters have much greater facility.
Master ad man David Ogilvy explains his flabby copywriting skills in this letter to Mr. Ray Calt, noting:
At this point I can no longer postpone the actual copy. So I go home and sit down at my desk. I find myself entirely without ideas. I get bad-tempered. If my wife comes into the room I growl at her.
Ogivly would get along famously with Gene Fowler, who once quipped: Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.
My favorite line on writing came recently, though, from screenwriter Jesse Laske:
Only 10% of the writing process is actual writing. The other 90% is a subtle mix of procrastination and self-doubt.
Excuse me while I hunt for some more bon mots to avoid my current workload.
