This post originally appeared on the Commpose website.

The Commpose 'C' signifies excellence in copywriting. And it looks great on your hockey sweater!

Hot under collar./ Confronted by writer’s block. / Angry, you haiku.

I don’t get hot under the collar when a blank page is staring me in the face.

Neither should Commpose members after tackling creative writing exercises at our September meeting.

Inspired by my own efforts to stretch my creativity as a copywriter and overcome writer’s block, I presented writing exercises centered around:

• Reflective writing or journaling.
• Writing against constraints like time, space or structure.
• Writing to an abstract prompt like describing a color to the blind. (Thanks Kim!)

Our first challenge (inspired by Jason Baer) was to pitch our business in fewer than 100 Twitter-friendly characters. Melissa Balkon pitched her Strong Design Studio thusly:

Helping superstar small businesses make a strong impact on their market.

The exercise led to a great conversation about differentiating one’s business in words. (As a marketing copywriter, I was happy to participate!) The chat was so good, in fact, that it forced us to combine our final two drills into a single exercise.

So, we described the color red to someone who’d never seen it – using five-syllable, seven-syllable, five-syllable haiku form. Responses ranged thematically from steamy (Kim Stearns) to sports car sleek (Jen Halloran). This was Kim’s take:

Lust on a warm day / Fire of passion and anger / Pulsing blood through veins

Whoa whoa whoa waw!

So, if you’re interested in becoming a better writer, Commpose meetings are a good place to start. Our next meeting is October 20, so mark your calendars!

Click to learn more about the Commpose Business Copywriters Meeting!

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