Essie

Revisions: Are You Ready?

by sarahenni on March 16, 2012

If You Were Essie*, Which Would You Choose: Well Red, or Well Read?

“Well Read” seems like the best way to be sure people get the joke. But then you’re assuming a level of unintelligence in the reader—that they wouldn’t be familiar with the phrase “well read,” and wouldn’t understand that using “Red” makes it a joke.

But is it necessary to make “red” explicit? After all, the vast majority of readers will not have trouble seeing the color is, in fact, bright red. It’s less certain that they’ve heard the phrase “well read,” so erring on the side of spelling out “Well Read” might be the way to go.

But “Well Red” would provide Essie with more name consistency. Essie loves punning on color names  (Orange, It’s Obvious;  Pinkadelic). With “Well Read” it would stand out that this one particular bottle doesn’t have the color spelled out, therefore not invoking a pun of any kind.

But the name of nail polish color carries a strange mystique. If a reader picks up a color they’re already mildly interested in using or buying, a quick chuckle from the name means they’re 67 percent more likely to go with it**. Keeping it as simple as possible—spelling out “Well Read”—seems like the way to get the quickest reader reaction.

Are you following any of this?

Could you add a few extra bullets of your own?

Do you have an opinion on the final word choice?

Then you, my friend, are ready for revisions.

Welcome to the insanity.

*the nail polish company that produced these two polishes
*An awesome stat that I completely made up

Tagged as: Essie, Inner Debate, revisions, This post is the result of a fierce internal argument, Word Choice

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Strange Things That Help Me Write

by sarahenni on December 5, 2011

Every writer’s toolbox is different, and sometimes the things that help most getting inspiration wrangled and on the page are a bit unexpected. Here are some random things that make me more inspired, more productive, and happier as a writer.

Bose ‘On Ear’ Headphones

For me, headphones are to writing as a helmet is to bike-riding. You can do without it, but why? There’s something about putting headphones on—even if no music is playing—that triggers my motivation to write. It’s kind of a symbol, to myself and to the rest of the world, that I’m focused. And these headphones make all the hulabaloo of a crowded waiting room or buzzing coffee shop into white noise that actually helps me work. (Also, I prefer the ‘on ear’ because after a few hours regular headphones make my ears ache.)

Essie Nail Polish

I’m a recovering nail biter (if by recovering you mean ‘sometimes still does it’). It’s a nervous habit, and the worst thing about it is that while I’m biting my nails, guess what I’m not doing? Writing. The best way I know how to solve this issue is by painting my nails, because I fuss with my hands less when they’re nice and shiny. My favorite brand of polish—both because it has witty names (that avoid being disgusting or racist) and because it is long-lasting—is Essie. My fav is “Well Red,” because obviously.

Twitter

There are absolutely times when TweetDeck lures me like a siren call from my writing Odyssey*, but there is absolutely no doubt that without Twitter and the community I’ve found there, I would not be the same writer I am right now, nor would I be as inspired to continue writing. There have been specific circumstances where a community write-in is organized (in a Highway Cafe), or when one or two of my closest Twitter buddies challenge me to a word war, that I get crazy productive.

Market Spice Tea

I don’t like tea … except for Market Spice’s Cinnamon-Orange. It’s so good, I’ve been known to choose it over coffee. I KNOW. Something about it is inherently soothing—it’s as pivotal for rainy days as tomato soup and grilled cheese. Mmm. Plus, by making it almost every time I write, I’m hoping to create some Pavlovian effect of productivity.

My Commute

I take the metro to and from work every day, and that gives me a total of about 45 minutes daily just to read, or to get lost in my thoughts and brainstorm over  my WiP. Having some down time that I can dedicate to reading, writing, or thinking about writing (but not being in front of a computer) is regenerating and necessary to keeping me motivated.

What about you?? What are some unusual tools or methods that you use to get writing, and to stay inspired?

* NERD SENTENCE ALERT

Tagged as: Cinnamon Tea So Strong it Numbs My Mouth, Essie, Headphones, How to Succeed in Life Without Biting Your Nails, Is a Book I Would Buy, Metro, Twitter

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