Interpretive Writing Intensive
The Workshop for Interpreters Who Write

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In This Issue
Virtual Tour Wallace Falls Lodge
Visit our archive
Through the eyes of the audience
Extra-early bird: biggest price break ever
A Great Year with Great Writing
Early registration is open!

You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you.

 

Ray Bradbury

near Red Feather Lakes   


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Wallace Falls Lodge 
 

click here for virtual tour of Wallace Falls Lodge 

Space is limited--
register today!


Interp Writing Intensive
Jan. 29
to
Feb 3, 2012

  

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Extra-Early Bird Registration

is open

for the

Interpretive Writing Intensive

Register now

and

save $250!

 

Jan. 29-Feb. 3, 2012
Gold Bar, WA


Extra-early bird discount good through Nov. 24, 2011 or until workshop is full, whichever comes first.
 

  

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Back issues of the Interpretive Writing Intensive newsletter

 

Articles ranging from the nuts & bolts of writing craft to essays about inspiration and imagination


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Through the Eyes of the Audience

pumpkin  It's between seasons. The candles in my jack o'lanterns have burned to nubs. A pile of tree debris the size of a minivan hunkers at the end of the drive, ready for mulching. The heavy snow that ripped and pruned any branch still clutching leaves has melted, been replenished, and melted again. Daylight Savings Time, that nemesis of night owls, has surrendered to a more accommodating clock. Christmas decorations, which began sneaking into store spiked pumpkindisplays weeks ago, sprout like shameless dandelions. My mailbox practically erupts with catalogs, shiny and colorful and filled with wondrous things.

I read catalogs the way some people read novels and newspapers. I'm fascinated by the variety of stuff for sale, and even more fascinated by the variety of marketing approaches. I'm especially intrigued by the similarities between ad copy and interpretive writing.

Take this wee gem from theDuluth Trading Company
catalog Vol. MII No. 22:

Fire Hose� "Straight Shooter" Vest
You have less than 3 minutes to make a favorable first impression - and yes, clothing counts. Demonstrate that you're a successful sort with this smart vest. It's made of famously tough 11.5-oz. Fire Hose canvas that's prewashed soft and never looks
Duluth Trading Co vest image
Antique brass buckle in back adjusts fit - and looks cool
overly formal or stuffy. Lined with smooth polyester in back for easy on/off, it looks great over our Wrinklefighter F.O.M.™, p. 74. Four functional pockets plus an adjustable back belt with brass buckle. Imported.


In a mere 80 words (90 if you count the caption), the ad copywriter has--
  • delivered the important facts;
  • stated a problem that the reader wants to solve;
  •  described three (count 'em, THREE--plus a fourth in the caption) benefits to you, the reader;
  • described the product in a way that helps you imagine yourself in a situation where this vest would be exactly what you need (you imagine yourself in the story); and
  • conveyed the culture and values of the company itself.
AND they suggest what else to buy to go with this item and where to find it, solving another problem.
  • If you were creating an interpretive label following Duluth's model, you'd--
  • deliver critical facts;
  • identify a problem your audience needs or wants to solve;
  • present at least one benefit to the reader (the benefits are themes or subthemes);
  • provide a solution or resolution to the problem (which would include the benefits you've presented);
  • let them know what to do next and how to do it; and
  • you'd do it all in a way that supports and reinforces the mission of your site or organization.
The "Priceless" MasterCard ads are another good example. These nuggets tell a complete story in less than 30 seconds (some in a mere 15 seconds). This one is 31 words long and takes 32 seconds from opening shot to final tagline announcement.

Motion: MasterCard Priceless by MasterCard (click the link to see this ad and others in the series)

We follow a young man preparing for a big date, leaping, sliding, and tumbling past vendors and into his apartment, where he quickly clears clutter (stuffing most of it in the dishwasher), finishing just as his date rings the doorbell.

NARRATOR (VOICE OVER):
New toothbrush for that killer smile: $4.
"Home cooked" meal: $28.
First date finest: $33.
Having time on your side: priceless.
MasterCard PayPass: Bringing you the most convenient way to pay.

Each ad in the Priceless series presents a main character with a problem to solve. In the space of 30 seconds, the character and problem are identified, difficulties are overcome, and the problem is solved. The taglines--"There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there's MasterCard" and "MasterCard PayPass: Bringing you the most convenient way to pay" --state benefits to the audience. If these ads were interpretive programs, their benefit-oriented taglines would be their interpretive themes.

In both of these examples--and in every effective ad campaign and interpretive program--the messages pay attention to the needs and perceptions of the intended audience. The vendors don't simply tell the audience to buy their product or wear their vests or use the fancy new credit card. There's no hint of "you should do this, you shouldn't do that" or "you should feel this way, not that way." There's no "interpreganda."

Instead, they establish scenarios that are relevant to the audience member--problems or conflicts that audience members can recognize and identify with. They present benefits and offer solutions that make sense to the audience. They end with a call to action--an explicit or implied course of action--that builds logically from the problem and its solution, so the audience member can make the connection and is likely to take action. And they do it all with language and imagery that supports and reinforces the company's image, so the audience member knows who's behind the story. There is no danger that you would mistake a Duluth Trading Company ad for a MasterCard ad. You wouldn't mistake a National Park Service brochure for one from the Fort Collins Discovery Center or St. Louis's City Museum, either, and for the same reasons.

This is possible only when we look at our story through the eyes of our audience members.

What do they see? What do they know? What are their experiences? Their challenges and problems? How can we tell our interpretive story so that it uses the world of our audience to the best advantage of us both?

Look at the world through the eyes of your audience. You'll see amazing and wonderful stuff--and your writing will be the better for it.

Judy


Questions? Comments?
Let us know! email    or call  888/886-9289 (toll-free)

 

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The

Interpretive Writing Intensive 

is coming to the Seattle, WA area  

 in January, 2012! 

I know there's not much lead time between when registration opened for the Jan. 29, 2012 Interpretive Writing Intensive and the extra-early bird deadline--which is why we decided to offer our biggest price break ever:

$250 discount if you register by Nov. 24, 2011

To sweeten the deal even more, you can combine the group discount with the extra-early bird discount:

Register with two or more friends at the same time--
total savings of $300 per person!

You'll still be able to register after the extra early bird registration, of course--assuming there is still space available--but the early bird discount won't be as big (you'll still save over the standard registration, just not as much as you'll save if you register by Thanksgiving). Check our web site for details and to register, or contact me by email or phone (toll-free: 888/886-9289).

More details about the workshop below, too.

 

Don't wait--register today!

  

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Make it a great year with great writing! 

 Interpretive Writing Intensive

January 29-February 3, 2012
Wallace Falls Lodge, Gold Bar, WA
 

 

Freeman Tilden said interpretive writing should be


"concise, focused, inspirational, and engaging."


Lofty goals for any writer!


 

Interp in Jerome AZ

But not to worry--during the Interpretive Writing Intensive, we'll guide you through the challenges.  You'll learn:
  • What makes interpretive writing interpretive;
  • How to create writing that connects with the reader;
  • Techniques for strengthening language, including pacing, language use, and word choice;
  • Strategies for organizing;
  • How to write for any length or space;
  • How to write for different media, different audiences, and different uses;
  • How to write for maximum impact;
  • How to write even if you think you can't;
  • How to take your writing "off-site";
  • Humble punctuation;
  • Accessing--and improving--creativity (or, the Muse will visit if chocolate is involved);
  • Dealing with writer's block (or, how to get the Muse to visit if you're out of chocolate);
  • and MORE.

Make it a great year with great writing. Join us at the Interpretive Writing Intensive, January 29-February 3, 2012 at Wallace Falls Lodge, Gold Bar, Washington (about an hour from Seattle, WA).

 

Extra-Early Bird Registration Now Open
Register today and save!

Register today and take $250.00 off the regular registration! Register three or more people at the same time and save another $50 per person!
 
Extra-early bird registration prices effective through midnight, November 24, 2011 or until workshop is full, whichever happens first.
To ensure a quality experience with plenty of individual attention, workshop size is limited to 14 people. Registration is first-come, first-served.

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The

Interpretive Writing Intensive 

is coming to the Seattle, WA area
 in January, 2012! 


Wallace Falls Lodge   

January 29-February 3, 2012   

 

Extra-early bird registration for 2012's first  

Interpretive Writing Intensive  

has just opened! 

 

Register today and SAVE!

$250 discount for extra-early bird registration  

Discount is available until the workshop fills OR

November 24, 2011

(Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.),

whichever comes first.

 

Join us January 29 to February 3, 2012 (Sunday night through Friday morning) at Wallace Falls Lodge, Gold Bar, Washington. This beautiful and secluded lodge is next door to Wallace Falls State Park and Wallace Lake. It's only an hour's drive from Sea-Tac Airport, about 45-minutes from Everett, Redmond, and Bellevue, and within a half-day's drive from parts of Oregon, Canada, and almost anywhere in Washington. 

 

Grab your spot now!  

 

 Wallace Falls Lodge Workshop size is limited to 14 people, and Wallace Falls Lodge has only so many single rooms--so if you want the best room in the lodge, sign up now! Workshop and lodging space are first come, first served. Registrants will be assigned to single rooms as long as single rooms are available; once all single rooms are full, remaining registrants will be assigned to shared rooms. All rooms are nonsmoking and have private baths.    

 

And did we mention that by registering now, you'll save big bucks? (And you can save even more if you register with two or more friends or colleagues.) 

   

Extra-early bird registration saves you $250

and is open through November 24, 2011 (assuming space is available).

 

Sign up with friends and colleagues: 

Register yourself and two or more friends (even if you're not from the same site) and save an additional fifty bucks each.

 

Don't wait--register today!

  

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Wallace Falls Lodge photograph courtesy Wallace Falls Lodge. Vest image courtesy Duluth Trading Company. Trade and Service Marks are property of the indicated companies. All other photographs and content copyright � Judy Fort Brenneman. Request reprint permission through Greenfire Creative, LLC.