2022: Our top reads

We didn’t spend the whole of 2022 writing. We were reading, too. And as the country hurtled through crises, multiple prime ministers, heatwaves, big freezes and economic death drops, we found wisdom, joy and solace in the pages of our books.  

The books on this list were not necessarily published this year, or topically connected. The only common thread is that we read them, we liked them, and we thought you might too.

So welcome to our 2022 book list. There’s a something for everyone (as long as you like fishing.)

THE TLDR BOOK LIST: 

English Pastoral by James Rebanks

Uncanny Valley by Anna Weiner

Think Like an Artist by Will Gompertz

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Londoners by Craig Taylor

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard

The Trees by Percival Everett

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

Gone Fishing: Life, death and the thrill of the catch by Mortimer and Whitehouse

Blood Knots by Luke Jennings

The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall

The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs, by Tristan Gooley

Lost Lanes: Wales by Jack Thurston

Modernists & Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters by Martin Gayford

First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

The Every by Dave Eggers

Ready for the deep dive? Put your snorkel on…

Reading comes naturally: Dan’s top pick for 2022

Dan’s Picks:

English Pastoral by James Rebanks

UK nature writing tends to lean towards wilderness and exploration, rather than working with the land. James Rebanks has redressed the balance with The Shepherd's Life and his latest book, English Pastoral. It shines a light on the plight of sustainable farming in the UK and it is unashamedly political in places—but at its heart is a rousing, enrapturing tale of life on a Lake District farm.

Uncanny Valley by Anna Weiner

Silicon Valley was once seen as the guiding light for the future of tech. But as recent events with a certain Elon Musk have shown, the waters are getting a little murky. Uncanny Valley by Anna Weiner shines a light into the depths. Working within various start-ups during the San Francisco tech boom, Weiner exposes everything from VCs throwing money at every charismatic kid in town, to a toxic 'tech bro' culture that manages to gain terrifying amounts of power in Western culture.

Think Like an Artist by Will Gompertz

After the crazy few years we've all been through, it feels like my creative nerves have become a bit frazzled. This little book by former BBC arts editor Will Gompertz has helped to bring them back to life. Gompertz looks at the working habits and creative obsessions of artists like Caravaggio, Mondrian and Turner to explore how their thinking can influence ours. It certainly helped me figure out some new creative habits (and learn a bit more about famous painters).

Maus by Art Spiegelman

Graphic novels have never really done it for me, But Maus by Art Spiegelman is quite something. It tells the story of how Spiegelman's father survived the Holocaust as a Polish Jew. The story uses anthropomorphism throughout, with the Nazis shown as cats, and the Jews represented by mice. The effect is an innocence to the whole thing, which only makes it more devastating. Maus was this year banned by a school in Tennessee, which makes the reading of it more vital than ever.

Londoners by Craig Taylor

Despite being born and raised in The North, I have been in love with London for as long as I can remember. As such, I've read a bunch of books about the history, culture and life of the city. Londoners by Craig Taylor is one of the best. Through a series of interviews with all types of Londoner—from cabbies to investment bankers—Taylor manages to show London in a whole new light. Some of the interviewees hate the place. Some are trying their best to change it. But all of them are addicted to it. 

A crime novel? A thriller? A black comedy? Whatever it is, Jack S recommends it.

Jack S picks:

Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen

If you like Franzen's in-depth tales of dysfunctional middle-American families (and how could you not?) then you'll love his latest book. Set around Christmas 1971, it delves into the life of Russ Hildebrandt, pastor of the First Reformed Church, his unhappy wife and his troubled children. Doesn't sound particularly uplifting but it's warm and funny and the first part of a trilogy - so that's two more books to look forward to when they're published. If you like big American novels, you'll love it.

Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard

If I'm honest, I've struggled to put anything other than motorcycle travel books on my list this year. I've read the lot - from Ted Simon's classic to quite a lot of self-published nonsense. However, the one that stands out is by Elspeth Beard who set off alone in 1982 to motorbike around the world. One of the most interesting aspects of the book is her family's attitude, who wouldn't engage with her trip and thought she should just settle down with a nice husband. In fact, their disinterest on her return deflated her so much she simply put all her diaries and photos in a box and forgot about them. Many years later, adventure motorcycling began to go mainstream and a conversation with a journalist made her realise what she'd achieved. This is her story of becoming the first British woman to motorcycle around the world. 

The Trees by Percival Everett

How do you summarise this book? It's a crime novel about a series of brutal murders in Mississippi. It has the creeping tension of a horror in places. Enough laughs to fully qualify as a dark comedy. And most importantly it's a brutal satire of racism in the US. It's a page-turning, thought-provoking read and was longlisted for this year's Booker prize.

 On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Continuing the travel theme, I read this during a holiday to California. I'm not 100% certain I understood it all, and the novel certainly has some issues, but there's no denying it builds an infectious excitement for travel, meeting new people and leaving life to fate. The fact that it was largely based in the areas we were travelling through made it all the more impactful - and the fact that I wasn't travelling with the rapidly unravelling Dean Moriarty was a constant relief. 

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel

Too soon for a post-apocalyptic pandemic novel? Not for me. This was actually written well-before Covid-19 but I missed it first time around. It's a brilliantly written novel about a nomadic group of actors who travel around the US following a flu pandemic that destroyed society. It jumps back and forth across decades, telling the stories of a few different survivors - including a threatening figure who now calls himself The Prophet. I think now might be the perfect time to read this, if only to freak yourself out about how bad things could have got. But I guess the decision about whether it's too soon or not is a very personal one.

Compliments for fishing: Ed’s literary catch of the year

Ed’s picks:

Gone Fishing: Life, death and the thrill of the catch by Mortimer and Whitehouse

This is definitely one for men with a 4 or a 5 at the front. It's not really about fishing, but instead about the important and rather gentle thing that is an enduring friendship between men who have both been through the mill, and who are now invested in each other's wellbeing. The fishing bits are good too. The narrative bounces between Bob and Paul in a way that makes you laugh out loud. And if none of this really floats your hook, buy the book anyway. We owe it to them for The Fast Show and Shooting Stars. (If you start with a 1, 2 or a 3, go and look them up).

Blood Knots by Luke Jennings

So this is a book about, er, fishing and friendships. My thanks to my generous and rather wonderful friend Ed Wilson for this one. A deliciously sensory book, constructed as a memoir that takes you on a nostalgia-studded drive in a grey Bedford van through the country lanes and London backstreets of the 60s and 70s, it gets you right in there into the moment. Who knew how exciting it could be, fishing for giant pike at midnight in a canal just north of Kings Cross?  

The Power of Geography by Tim Marshall

If you enjoyed 'Prisoners of...' then you'll like this second instalment of history, geopolitics and how a lot of the seemingly non-sensical actions from baddies around the world are, in fact, based on cold hard (albeit a bit dastardly) logic. You do slightly get the impression that, at some point, Tim's publishers sat him down and said 'brilliant, now can you do exactly the same thing again?' But despite that, the book feel different enough, and of course extremely interesting. There is no fishing in this book.

The Walker's Guide to Outdoor Clues and Signs, by Tristan Gooley

This is a dip in, dip out book, and a brilliant one for any other Covid cliché like me who moved to the countryside and bought a dog. I always thought I sort of 'knew' the countryside, but I am, of course, totally wrong. It turns out there are 19 ways to navigate by tree.

Lost Lanes: Wales by Jack Thurston

The Lost Lanes books cover quite a lot of the country, so if Wales isn't your thing then head lostlanes.co.uk for other options. There's a lot to love about these little books that give you the ins, outs, ups and downs of bicycle routes across the region. We can't always be out there riding the high road with the wind in our hair and our lunch stashed in our panniers. But we can dream. (Big thanks to my friend Jess Hatcher for this one.)

Reading about painting: almost as good as painting

Jack W’s Picks:

Modernists & Mavericks: Bacon, Freud, Hockney and the London Painters by Martin Gayford

I had a plan to get really into painting this year. It didn’t happen. But I did read this great book about painters in post-war London. It’s full of these mad colourful characters like Francis Bacon, Howard Hodgkin, Frank Bowling and Lucien Freud, all barrelling around post-blitz bombsite London thinking big thoughts about the purpose of painting and the future of art. It inspired me to take up painting. Next year. 

First You Write a Sentence by Joe Moran

Most style guides are dull, but they shouldn’t be: if a book is about writing, being interesting is really the least it can do. This is like the anti-pedant’s grammar book. It walks you through the tools and craft of writing in beautifully lyrical ways. It’s a love letter to sentences and a celebration of style. I don’t know if it made me a better writer, but it made me want to be one. And for that, it might be the best book about writing I’ve ever read.  

Life Ceremony by Sayaka Murata

I think a really talented writer can make you feel comfortable and freaked out at the same time. Sayaka Murata’s style is so clean that you don’t immediately notice how screwed up these stories are. But one gentle sentence at time she takes you to a place where it’s normal for, say, dead people’s bodies to be made into clothes and homewares by their loved ones. That’s a skill. I enjoyed getting weird with this one.

The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino

I tried to recommend this one to a few people when I was reading it, and their faces stayed blank. I think I wasn’t explaining it well. It’s an epic novel about a medieval 12-year-old baron who, after refusing to eat his dinner one night, escapes up a tree, where he spends the rest of his life. It’s a metaphor for…something. It’s about determination, and stubbornness, and the lives we make for ourselves. I read it while listening to a band called This Is The Kit, whose folky grooves fit this really nicely.

Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

I read this around the time my son was born this year. I even read it a bit on the maternity ward (not during The Event, obviously, but there’s a lot of waiting around involved in having a kid so it’s helpful to have a book to hand – it’s just got to be the right book.) That’s not relevant, but my point is, this is the kind of novel that’s worth reading even in big real-life moments. It’s about the experience of Nigerian migrants from to the US and to the UK, it’s also an epic love story, and it’s vivid and funny, and moving, to the extent that even if you’ve just had a son and haven’t slept in a few days, you can still get on with it.

A lot of buzz about this one. LOL.

Polly’s picks:

The History of Bees by Maja Lunde

This illuminating book follows three generations of beekeepers from the past, present and terrifying future. I found it haunting not just because it serves as an urgent reminder of how much our very existence depends on these fascinating insects. But also in the way it explores the powerful relationship between parents and their children. Whether you see this as a book filled with tragedy or one offering hope, it will certainly stay with you long after the final chapter.

This Earth of Mankind by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

So I’ve cheated a bit here. This isn’t a book I’ve read this year. But as I would encourage everyone to read This Earth of Mankind at least once I decided it was worth bending the rules.

Set against the backdrop of Indonesia’s fight for independence from Dutch colonial rule, this powerful novel charts the coming-of-age of an aristocratic Javanese boy, Minke. It’s a fascinating read, made even more so by the fact Pramoedya Ananta Toer composed it while being held as a political prison in a brutal malaria-ridden jail. And I use the word ‘composed’ here not to sound poncy but because he wasn’t initially allowed to write it down. So he repeated the chapters over and over again to himself and his fellow inmates. Eventually published in 1980 it was then banned and only returned to print in Indonesia in 2005.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

I’m not sure whether it’s a hang-up from doing an English degree or because I write for a living, but reading a fun-filled romp of a book always feels a bit naughty. Like something I shouldn’t really tell anyone about. After spending the first six months of this year on maternity leave, I decided it was time to break free and read whatever I damn well felt like. And reader, it’s been marvellous. The Rosie Project will make you laugh and cry in equal measures. Come for the eye-catching lobster on the front of the book, stay for the affectionate and profound look at what it’s like to be differently-abled.

Jim found this one unputin-downable

Jim’s picks:

Putin's People by Catherine Belton

When war broke out in Ukraine, interest in modern-day Russia understandably rocketed. I jumped on the bandwagon after hearing this book's author, Catherin Belton, speak on a podcast. It is brilliantly  researched and reads like a thriller, without feeling sensationalised. It is also incredibly brave and the author/ publisher was subsequently sued by Roman Abramovich. All in all, a fascinating insight into Russia's political system and Putin's role in it.

The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen

This is a beautiful book. Written in 1978, it's essentially a travel journal of a trek through Tibet as the writer (and a rather dour, enigmatic naturalist) search for the mythical snow leopard. It is wonderfully reflective and meditative. Matthieson remembers his wife, who had recently died of cancer, and writes about the world he encounters – and life itself – through the prism of Zen Buddhism. I suppose it's really a story about the search for inner peace.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin

I adore fantasy and science fiction but had never read anything by Ursula Le Guin. I did some research and this book kept popping up as one of her most important books (particularly because of its treatment of gender and gender fluidity). She is an incredible writer. Her descriptions are vivid and she is a master at building worlds. I must admit that it took me a while to get into it but I'm so glad I persevered. It culminates in this epic journey across an apocalyptic escape where the two protagonists develop this profound, yet totally otherwordly, companionship. It's mesmerising.

The Every by Dave Eggers

This is the follow up to The Circle (which I hadn’t read but I don’t think it matters). The Every is Amazon, Google, Facebook rolled into one all-pervasive, sinister (and stupid) tech giant. The story  centres on a young woman who takes a job there in order to bring it down. The novel is a pretty damning indictment of the role of big tech in our lives. It gets a bit long-winded in places but it’s still a compelling read. You'll want to talk about it with people afterwards.

HIRING KLAXON!

We’re looking for new writers to join our team. This would initially be on a freelance basis but we’re growing fast, so there’s almost certainly a chance to go permanent for the right people.

We’d specifically like to hear from junior/mid-weight writers who have a few years under their belt. (Obviously you’ll be a brilliant writer. But you’ll also know your way around a messaging guide and be a dab hand at turning cold, corporate copy into warm, welcoming words.)

Now for the recruitment clichés (they’re only clichés cos they’re true etc, etc). Our ideal writers are:

Inquisitive

You need the sort of brain that can get interested in Pret sarnies, energy price caps and glamping sites. Potentially all in the same day.

Sparky

We don’t have account handlers so you’ll be speaking to clients yourself. Talking to you will be the best part of their day.

Detail-focused

Our writing is our product. So there’s no excuse for spelling mistakes or badly formatted documents. Yes, we know you’re above all that, but just humour us.

If this sounds like you, please email your CV to admin@writingclub.co.uk

And if you’re a more experienced writer seeking a fresh challenge then we’d love to chat to you, too.

What’s become of the Writing Room?

A lot of businesses are struggling with the question of what to do about the office.

Luckily, we never had an office. We had a Writing Room. But our dilemma is the same as everyone else’s: we don’t need to be in a room together to get work done. But we don’t want to become a company of individuals working at home without any human interaction.

So what to do?

Our solution has been to introduce The Writing Club Quarterly.

 Instead of renting a room that no one wants to be in very often, we’ve decided to spend the rent money on meeting up every quarter instead. Where possible this will always be in a different part of the UK but with a few consistent ingredients:

·      A period of time working together in a room (just for old-times’ sake)

·      Some form of training or other inspiration

·      A delicious meal in a restaurant

·      A relaxing night in a fancy hotel

So far we’ve managed four Quarterlies and they seem to be a success. They come around just as we all need to let off steam, take a break from home working and explore somewhere new. And they’re a great way to maintain team bonds, while giving everyone maximum flexibility day-to-day.

This year we’ve got a few exciting Quarterlies in the pipeline, including Belfast and Manchester. But ultimately, the point about flexible working, is that it's flexible. So our approach to this will be too. At the moment it seems to be working well. But if people become unhappy, or our clients need us to work in a different way for some reason, then we’ll think again.

Surfers (and writers) Against Sewage

Just a short announcement to say Writing Club has become an official member of the SAS 250 Club. As a group of incredibly average surfers, we’re very proud to support this organisation who work so hard to protect our oceans.

https://www.sas.org.uk/take-action/corporate-support/sas-250-club/

2020: Our year in books

On paper, 2020 seems like it would be the perfect year to get some serious reading done. All that time stuck at home! All those cancelled plans! All those reasons to switch off the news! It’s a bookworm’s dream, isn’t it?

Well, when we got together to talk about our favourite books this year, we agreed that it had actually been a harder year for reading than you might expect. It’s tricky to concentrate when the house is burning down.

Nevertheless, there were some books that managed to cut through. Here’s what we enjoyed reading most during these unprecedented times.

Dan’s Picks:

Upstream Mary Oliver

 There seems to be a serenity in every word Mary Oliver writes. It’s why I love her poetry, and it’s why I loved this collection of essays. The writing covers nature, inspiration and the study of great writers. It helped to get me through 2020.

Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders

 I love stories that make me laugh, and I love stories that make me cry. This novel does both—in bucketloads. And not only does the book take you on an emotional rollercoaster, it also throws away all the rules of fiction (large parts of the text are lifted from history books). It’s weird, moving, and brave.

Hegarty on Creativity John Hegarty

 Creative people writing about creativity can be hit and miss. Sometimes it’s life-affirming, often it’s frustrating. This book, by ad guru John Hegarty, is the former. It acts as a primer for anyone who wants to fine-tune their creative side, whether for work or just for kicks. It’s beautifully succinct, too.

Underland Robert Macfarlane

I’m a sucker for anything Robert Macfarlane writes. Even for him, this is a great piece of work. In it, he looks at the great underground spaces of our world—from the Catacombs of Paris to the caverns of the Peak District. It’s not helped me with my claustrophobia.

Ed’s picks:

The Moon’s a Balloon David Niven

Ok, so spot the person who fell into the lockdown trap of only reading books he’s already read. Apparently it’s a thing. Nonetheless, it gave me the excuse to go over two comforting hugs from the past, the first of which is David Niven’s autobiography. It was voted the best ever autobiography by The Guardian, so it’s hardly a hidden gem, but it is a wonderful escape from reality into a world where Errol Flynn comes round for cups of tea, and you find Greta Garbo swimming naked in your pool.

Joy in the morning P.G.Woodhouse

P.G.Woodhouse, Jeeves and Wooster… again, hardly a novel discovery, but just in CASE you’ve never read any Woodhouse, or even if you just haven’t had your Woodhouse dose for a little while, this is making it into my very short list. Whether you bounce across the top of the prose and enjoy the story for a few delicious hours, or you start getting into the nitty detail of how he makes words into something so damn funny, it’s a Christmas present to yourself. Be sure to read the preface on knuttery.

Jim’s picks:

The Buried Giant Kazuo Ishiguro

Beautiful, weird, mysterious and poignant. A mythical fantasy set in ancient Britain about an old couple that go looking for their long lost son. Writing that takes you into another world and makes you feel.

Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe

Meaty, searing, often hilarious take on 1980s New York. Deliciously drawn characters. Took me a while but was worth it.

I am Pilgrim Terry Hayes

No-nonsense ripsnorter of a thriller. Cliched perhaps but who cares when it’s done this well. In fact that’s exactly what you want. Masterfully crafted and just really really good fun. Pour yourself a port. Get stuck in.

This is not propaganda: Adventures in the war against reality Peter Pomerantsev

Compelling look at the origins of fake news and how its domination of society and political discourse is being accelerated by social media. If you liked the Social Dilemma on Netflix it’s worth a read.

Jack W’s picks:

A Gift Of Love Martin Luther King Jr

Few people’s words  have had as big an impact as Martin Luther King’s. Reading his sermons and speeches, you see why: it’s not just that he was a great writer and speaker – although if you’re looking for a masterclass in oratory, you’ll definitely find it here. But more than that, he was able to share a vision of a better world, and to keep people believing, in spite of everything they could see. We still need that.

Landing Light Don Patterson

To be honest, I’ve abandoned a lot of longer books this year. Call it the jittery 2020 mindset, or the result of moving house twice with a new baby and a toddler. But I’ve enjoyed poetry – it takes a lot less time to read and gives you something to think about at 4am. This collection by Don Patterson opens up different possibilities every time you dip in.

The Years Annie Ernaux

I read this one in the before times, back when Corona was something served with lime and burritos. It’s one French writer’s story of the 20th century, told in a style that mixes personal recollections, advertising slogans, political commentary – hard to describe but wonderful. Like sharing a bottle of wine and stories with the super cool French philosopher friend you wish you had.

Beowulf: A New Verse Translation Seamus Heaney

I read this by a wood stove in a small cottage in Yorkshire while waiting to move house, some time between the two lockdowns. It’s a proper Anglo-Saxon epic, with kings and feasts and monsters and more blood than you can shake a goblet at. We’ve all had our monsters to overcome this year. This is a cosy – but gory – way to reflect on it all.

Jack S’s picks:

Das Boot Lothar-Günther Bucheim

An old favourite resurfaces. Looking back, I seem to have done a fair bit of comfort-reading this year – tucking into old favourites I know will reliably distract me from reality. With the Writing Club surf trip cancelled I had to go back and read Barbarian Days. But for edge-of-your-bed, squeaky-bum time reading it has to be Das Boot. I’ve been fully submerged in it for the past few weeks and it’s as good as I remembered.

Work: A history of how we spend our time James Suzman

Non-fiction dippers. Unusually for me, I also did a bit of dipping this year. The impressively thick Beastie Boys Book has been sitting on my bedside table along with Work: a history of how we spend our time. I’ve dipped into both without feeling the need to read either cover-to-cover. But I will be going back to Work: a history because I suspect it will give me lots of lovely arguments about how our current working practices are built on long out-of-date traditions.

The Outsiders S.E. Hinton

A new, old classic. Discovery of the year in our house was S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. Written in 1967 (and then made into a movie by Francis Ford Coppola), it’s the debut novel of a 17 year-old girl about gangs of teenage boys. It’s a brilliant portrayal of masculinity, friendship and rebellion. I read it in a couple of days and passed it on to my 12 year-old son who did the same. We both vote it our read of the year.

Heaven, My Home Attica Locke

Some new, new stuff. I seem to have read quite a lot of fiction set in the deep south this year. My favourite was Heaven, My Home by Attica Locke. Using the racial tension of Trump’s election victory as a backdrop, it’s about a black policeman investigating the disappearance of the son of a local Aryan Brotherhood captain. Except it’s about much more than that, too.

Polly’s picks:

All the Light We Cannot See  Anthony Doerr

Set across Europe during WW2, this is a page-turner of epic proportions. Doerr’s carefully constructed prose paints such a detailed picture of the world and emotions of the central characters, Marie-Laure and Werner, that I found myself worrying about what would happen next even when I wasn’t reading it. Deeply moving, the book explores the futility of war on a very personal level and how much power we as human beings really have to choose our own destiny.

Three Women Lisa Taddeo

This book has been written about a lot this year. But what really resonated with me is, in a world where female empowerment is rightfully at the top of the agenda, it’s so sad that women can still be so mean to each other. If we can’t be kind and supportive to our own sex, what example are we setting for others? This book looks at the lives of three women, their stories, how they were judged on them by other women and is a good reminder that things are rarely as they seem.

Frankenstein Mary Shelley

In a crazy year, reading an old favourite felt like a much-needed creature comfort (along with cake and wine). Over 200 years since it was first published, many of the themes Shelley explores still feel incredibly relevant, not least the ethical and social consequences of pushing the natural world to its limit. 

Plus, it’s a great excuse to watch The National Theatre’s 2011 production of Frankenstein which they released onto YouTube earlier this year. Directed by Danny Boyle and with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating between the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creation, it’s almost as good as the book.

Pippi Longstocking Astrid Lindgren

This was one of my favourite books when I was little, and I have loved reliving her mischievous tales reading this to my six-year-old son recently. People may think the Spice Girls were the instigators of girl power but Pippi was leading the way back in the 1950s. She’s a strong, powerful 9-year-old girl who isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right in the world – plenty of lessons for readers both young and old.

Ruby’s picks:

La Belle Sauvage, The Book of Dust: Volume One Phillip Pullman

This book is a prequel to an old favourite of mine, the His Dark Materials trilogy, but is enjoyable whether you’re an avid fan of the books or have never heard of them. It takes place in a parallel world, and follows an ordinary boy thrust into an adventure to protect an extraordinary baby (the protagonist of the original series) from harm in a world increasingly dominated by the church and corruption. Fantasy isn’t a genre for everyone, but when the story is told in a way as rich as Phillip Pullman tells it, it truly paints a picture on the page, and you can’t help but be whisked away to his world.

The Tipping Point: How little things can make a big difference Malcolm Gladwell

This was a reread for me, I had read it years ago, and found it fascinating, so much so that I talked about it in my personal statement for universities (I don’t think they actually like when you do that, but I got in nonetheless). Throughout the book, Gladwell explores and explains the sociological phenomena of trends and changes in group behaviour in a surprisingly light and interesting way, drawing out real examples. To quote him, the ‘Tipping Point’ is “that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behaviour crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire”.

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse Charlie Mackesy

This is most definitely a short but sweet book. The author Charlie Mackesy is a cartoonist for The Spectator and book illustrator for The Oxford, so as you can imagine, the illustrations are a masterpiece in themselves. Each page is a hopeful sentiment or heartfelt phrase, which at first my cynical mind was a bit quick to roll my eyes at, but as I turned each page I became more and more touched. Its simplicity is not to be confused with its deeper message. And even though it was published a few years ago, a bit of light encouragement and hope has never been more needed. It’s a beautiful book you keep picking up, not one you read quickly and then put down to dust.

That thing around your neck Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie

I love this book for picking up before bed as although it’s a collection of lots of short stories, each one grips you instantly across its few pages. Adichie tells a story so effortlessly and yet with such meaning, following different paths and experiences of nigerian immigrants in the modern world. Each gives an interesting perspective of western influences and really explores the theme of identity and belonging. 

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• A core part of the job will be helping us keep on top of admin – everything from chasing up invoices to paying salaries, booking travel, managing the team calendar and liaising with the accountants.

• Depending on your experience, we’ll also be looking for you to combine this with a more operational role: finding ways to help us improve profitability, work more efficiently as a team and delight our clients. We’re very open to new ideas and better ways of working so you can have a big impact, fast.

• The role is permanent, 3 or 4 days a week and flexible – see below

The benefits
Aside from a generous salary and benefits (including pension contributions) you’ll get to work for a business with its priorities in place. We believe in working hard during working hours – not dragging work into people’s evenings and weekends – and if you need to fit us around the school run we’re fine with that, too. We know how important flexibility is to everyone’s lives. So we’re happy for you to work remotely if you want – but we will need you to be in our London office at least one day a week (although you’d be very welcome to come more often). Every year we also organise a company surf trip to Cornwall, which can involve as much or as little surfing as you want!

The person
We’re looking for someone who has account management or admin/project management experience within an agency environment.

Experience-wise, we’re flexible. We do need someone who’s willing to get stuck into some admin. But equally we’d still love to hear from you if you’re at director level. For us it’s about finding the right person, and we’ll build the role (and salary) around you and what you can bring.

You’ll need to have excellent communication skills (we don’t send blunt, officious-sounding emails even when someone owes us loads of money), a good sense of humour and an optimistic, can-do attitude. That last one may sound like a cliché but you really will need it.

If you’re interested, send your CV to admin@writingclub.co.uk and we’ll be in touch.

Reading Club: Our favourite books of 2019

“I cannot remember the books I've read any more than the meals I have eaten.” Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: “Even so, they have made me.”

The books we read this year have made us all kinds of things. Happier, sadder, hungrier, more confused – but we wouldn’t be the same without them.

We thought it would be fun to share some of our favourite books that we read in 2019. Finding a consensus was never going to be possible, so we decided to do this democratically, letting everyone share their individual recommendations.

We hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

***

Jack S’s picks:

NORMAL PEOPLE

Sally Rooney

I was a bit slow to the party and only got round to reading both Conversations With Friends and Normal People this year. I loved them both but we gave CWF as a gift last year. Normal People is an on-off love story, told over several years. It’s brilliantly, unpretentiously written (which I’m ashamed to admit I was surprised by) and absolutely nails the weird school/uni years when you make all sorts of odd decisions with seemingly no clear rationale. Or was that just me?

MEND THE LIVING

Maylis De Kerangel

Well this is a cheery little number. I nearly didn’t include it, as it’s a tragic story about a young man who is killed in a car crash on the way back from an early morning surf. It’s a book about grief, but it’s also a forensic examination into the processes and procedures that take place when a family agrees to organ donation. Sad and fascinating.

IN YOUR DEFENCE

Sarah Langford

I’m fascinated by the criminal justice system, so I loved this book, written by a barrister about her experiences in the criminal and family courts. The book takes us through 11 cases in turn, each one demonstrating something unique about our laws and what it takes to defend cases in our legal system.

THE FARM

Joanne Ramos

This is an entertaining debut novel set in the very near future where surrogacy has been taken to capitalist extremes. It’s an all-too plausible scenario, where pregnant “hosts” are held in semi-captive luxury while they produce offspring for the super rich.

BEYOND THE SEA

Paul Lynch

I love a sea yarn and this book covers one of my favourite scenarios: two people cast adrift with no food or water. However, it’s less about the practical steps for survival and more about the psychological toll the isolation, starvation and guilt take on the men. The writing brilliantly depicts the men’s descent into hallucinatory despair. Another cheery one, then…

52 TIMES BRITAIN WAS A BELLEND

James Felton

I like James Felton on Twitter, and he’s just as cuttingly funny here. Britain really has done some bad things over the years, and they’re explained in full atrocious detail here, with accompanying cartoons.

 Joseph’s picks:

THE MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE

Philip K. Dick

My interest in WWII and dystopia marry in this book. Did I read it after watching the series? No. It’s 1962. The Axis won WWII.  You follow a number of characters in San Francisco - now in the Japanese Pacific States - who are more solitary and downtrodden than their on-screen versions. My favourite imagining is the English Channel set aflame with underwater gas pipes in a futile effort to prevent the Battle of London. 

DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?

Philip K. Dick

A Dick classic. I was enthralled after finishing The Man in the High Castle and needed more ‘What if?’, amphetamine-fuelled dystopian goodness from the source. It’s another of his works that has been ‘translated’ into moving image, this time being 1982’s Blade Runner. The silver screen version is very different to the book, but I can really see the sense behind the changes made in the famous adaptation. Read the book to discover ‘chicken heads’, World War Terminus, and the genius behind mood organs.

THE METAMORPHOSIS

Franz Kafka

The famous novella published in 1915. Gregor Samsa – a travelling salesman and cloth merchant – wakes one morning to find himself inexplicably transformed into a huge insect (ungeheures Ungeziefer - "monstrous vermin"). His family’s reaction to his hardship is unforgiving as they selfishly worry about their finances with him unable to work. I took the book to be a view on how, blinkered, skewed and maligned society can be when it comes to upkeeping work and commitments.

INSTITUTION FOR THE FUTURE  

Various (Incl. Yoko Ono)

I’ll be honest. I judged a book by its cover.

A beautiful thing to hold in your hands; this book begins with black paper and white text and ends with white paper and black text with the colour slowly changing as you make your way through. As for the contents, it’s an exploration into what institutions could look like in the future through the eyes of a number of world-famous artists. Yoko Ono herself believes there should be a lot more plants and flowers involved. +10 cool points if you’re seen with this in your grip.

WHAT IF? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

Randall Munroe

Could you fly on a jetpack made out of downwards-firing machine guns? I don’t know, I’ve literally never thought about it. But Randall Munroe has, and he’s written this book about it. The questions he answers are not useful, exactly. But they’re interesting, and that’s enough.

Jack W’s picks:

A POETRY HANDBOOK

Mary Oliver

I very much like the idea of poetry. In reality, writing poems is harder than you might think, and getting anything out of reading them can be a drag, too. So, I tend to go for this somewhat niche subgenre: books by poets about poetry, that are – crucially – not poetry itself.

Mary Oliver is one poet whose work I really like. This book is a very readable intro to the basic poetic structures, patterns and ambitions. It would be very handy if you were to actually read or write poetry. (I’m assuming.)

But even if you weren’t, it’s an interesting read with some important lessons about communication and life in general.

 CONVENIENCE STORE WOMAN

Sayaka Murata

I told my local bookshop that I wanted to read something like Haruki Murakami or Franz Kafka but funny, and probably modern, and maybe by a female writer. They hit the brief perfectly with this recommendation.

This is an offbeat story about a Japanese woman who, unable to conform to the expectations of mainstream society, finds salvation in working in a convenience store. It’s got things to say about capitalism, individuality, conformity – and it’s funny. 

MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION

Ottessa Moshfegh

Something about the title of this one tickled me. It’s about a young woman in New York City in the year 2000, who, with the help of a truckload of pharmaceuticals, takes a year out of her life to sleep as much as possible. It’s funny but also appalling, with characters who are compelling but also despicable.

LYRICS

Leonard Cohen                      

I’ve enjoyed dipping into this edition of Leonard Cohen lyrics. He’s probably one of my favourite writers of anything. Lots of people say it, but my favourite lyric of his is probably the Anthem: 

Ring the bells that still can ring,

forget your perfect offering,

there is a crack, a crack in everything.

That’s how the light gets in.

THE DIVING BELL AND BUTTERFLY

Jean-Dominique Bauby

I re-read this book at some point pretty much every year. Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor of French Elle magazine, but he had a massive stroke that left him completely paralysed apart from the use of one eyelid.

He dictated this book by having an assistant repeatedly recite the whole alphabet, flicking his eyelid on the right letter. That’s reason enough to read it. But you should also read it because it’s beautiful, life-affirming writing that could change the way you think about everything.

THE MAN WHO WAS THURSDAY

GK Chesterton

I’m not usually one for twisty-turny spy novels, but this was a lot of fun. It’s about a spy who infiltrates an undercover group of anarchists in the early 20th Century and that’s probably about as much plot as I can give away without ruining it.

THE KITCHEN DISCO

Clare Foges and Al Murphy

The vast majority of books I’ve read this year have been written for under-3s, but I’m leaving most of them off my list because I want you to think I’m clever. The Kitchen Disco is a regular favourite in our house. It’s a catchy little rap about the secret life of your fruit and veg that you’ll find yourself singing long after bedtime.

WE FOUND A HAT

Jon Klassen

This is another bedtime favourite. Jon Klassen’s beautifully-illustrated story tells the tale of two passive-aggressive turtles who find a hat that they both like. I love the deadpan, terse little sentences it’s written in. A lot of tension for a kid’s book.

THE CHOICE FACTORY

Richard Shotton

Richard Shotton is an adman and a behavioural science expert. This book takes you through 25 behavioural biases that shape the decisions that we all make, with case-studies and experiments that explain them. Whether you work in marketing or not, it’s a super interesting insight into the human brain that can teach anyone a lot about effective communication.

WHY I AM NOT GOING TO BUY A COMPUTER

Wendell Berry

In the eighties, lots of Wendell Berry’s friends were recommending that he should get himself a word processor to speed up his writing. He refused, sticking steadfastly to a system of writing everything with a pencil, then having manuscripts typed up on a typewriter by his wife. This essay explains why – and raises a lot of interesting points for our computer-saturated times.

THE STORY OF THE STREETS

Mike Skinner

The Streets are still one of my most-listened on Spotify, which shows you that a. I’m stuck in 2007, and b. they really made some great music. This book tells you the story behind it.

MID-CENTURY MODERN GRAPHIC DESIGN

I’m not the only one who’s really feeling mid-century graphic styles at the moment. This delicious book  has a great collection of  record covers, posters, typography and advertisements, that will have you longing to rip your house apart and carefully rebuild it with the stuff your Grandparents had.

 Tamara’s picks:

10 MINUTES, 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD

Elif Shafak

Is reading a holiday read set in the country you’re holidaying in an act of extreme bookishness? Father, I have sinned. Turkish-British force of nature Elif Shafak writes words that are as beautiful and devastating as the country they’re set in. Reading ’10 mins…’ felt like opening a book of mirrors, each page reflecting the mystical twists of Istanbul. Worth it even if Turkey’s the last place on your mind.

MY YEAR OF REST AND RELAXATION

Ottessa Moshfegh

Think your life’s a mess? Read this! The New Yorker called it “deeply insane” and they’re not wrong. 10/10 for enjoyment, 10/10 for lunacy.

MR SALARY

Sally Rooney

Apparently Sally Rooney evokes very peculiar feelings when people read her books. I’d never thought it until Mr Salary made reading on the tube feel like sitting in a bath filled with ice.

HOW TO USE GRAPHIC DESIGN TO SELL THINGS, EXPLAIN THINGS, MAKE THINGS LOOK BETTER, MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH, MAKE PEOPLE CRY, AND (EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE) CHANGE THE WORLD

Michael Beirut

A great design manifesto from a legendary designer: Michael Beirut, of Pentagram. Graphic Design really can do an awful lot. (Copywriting can make your book titles shorter).

Ed’s picks:

THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR

Ben Macintyre

If you like your wars cold, your spies busy putting microfilm under rocks, and everyone trying to get to Finland, this is absolutely the book for you. Someone called this ‘The best true spy story I’ve ever read’ and that someone was John Le Carré. Annoyingly, this book has an end. 

THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE

Charlie Mackesy

Prepare to fall truly, madly, deeply in love with a mole. This is a heart-warming book combining Charlie Mackesy’s delicious illustrations, edible words and just enough animal-delivered wisdom to get you thinking without feeling you’re being taught a lesson. It’s a wonderful world to lose yourself in over Christmas.

LOOK BIG: AND OTHER TIPS FOR SURVIVING ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS OF ALL KINDS

Rachel Levin

You just need to know this stuff. This book prepares you for real life, facing 50 of our most feared wild animals, including survival techniques, wildlife etiquette, and other essential advice.

BROAD BAND: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made The Internet

Claire L. Evans

The history of technology that always gets told is of sweaty blokes in garages and male maths geniuses. This book shines a light on the women who bought us the internet, from Ada Lovelace the Victorian programmer, to the cyberpunk Web designers of the 1990s.

A new signing for Chelsea FC

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been taking a deep-dive into the world of our newest client, Chelsea FC.

When they first got in touch, we thought they might be after Ed’s goalkeeping skills (he’s actually played at Stamford Bridge on two separate occasions, though he doesn’t like to talk about it).

But no, it turns out they wanted to talk to us about writing, and we were only too happy to help. Over the next few months, we’re going to be working with their internal design team to help them speak brilliantly and consistently across all their various platforms.  

The life of a major football club goes way beyond what you get to see on TV. And it’s becoming more important for sports clubs to come to life as brands and not just teams, as they seek to get involved in more than just the main sports events they’re famous for. Part of our challenge at Chelsea will be to help raise the profile of the women’s game, their academy and their international audience. We’re looking forward to getting stuck into all of it.

Watch this space.

One more wetsuit: Writing Club Surf Club Surf Trip® 2019

Words and analogue pictures by Joe

“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Farringdon anymore…”

The annual trip to Watergate Bay Hotel is highly anticipated and unique to each WC member. I found it to be very cathartic, a sort of ‘white-water-worry-wash-away’.  

I used to surf during my former lifeguarding years in South Wales, but hadn’t since 2015 when I had my first migraine, conveniently at sea (I then got to shore to find I had a parking ticket). So, it was safe to say I’d wondered if I’d ever surf again.

After a five-hour train we stopped at Ed’s parents’ for shortbread and a cuppa before we set off in a two-car convey with some hot Cornish pasties. The drive reminded me of bygone school trips – sat in our weekend clothes, wiping aromatic pasty-steam from the windows and chatting gleefully. “As soon as we get there, I’m putting my wetsuit on”, “I’m gonna check the surf, it’s supposed to be good today!”.

Yep, it was as cold as it looks…

After two hours of being blissfully battered by the waves, I decided 13 stand-ups was a valiant effort and left the water to snap some pics before taking a very long and very hot shower. The rest of the day included a dip in the pool, staring out to sea from the sauna and my personal highlight, the outdoor hot tub overlooking the bay.

A view from a tub

The evening saw a neat whisky polish off a delicious dinner, as well as more pints than I’d like to count and a few games of pool.

As I said, cathartic.

I’m quite ready for the 2020 outing.

Long live Writing Club

Quentin Tarantino does the overnight test

Jack S

Earlier this week I went to a BAFTA event called A Life In Pictures, with Quentin Tarantino.

It was a Q&A with the man himself, discussing his work to-date, his writing technique (which he talked about far more than his directing) and what’s he going to do next. (One more film and then he’s done with movies.)

He said a lot of interesting stuff very quickly, and swore a lot. It was great. But he told two anecdotes that really struck a chord.

The first was about writing Inglorious Basterds. He was struggling with the ending and, in particular, what to do about Hitler. It was 3am and he was pacing around his bedroom struggling for ideas, when it suddenly struck him:  

“Just f*cking kill him. It’s my movie, I can do what I want. So just f*cking kill him.”

 He grabbed a piece of paper and a Sharpie and wrote JUST F*CKING KILL HIM in big letters, then put the paper on his bedside table and thought – if that’s still a good idea when I wake up, I’ll do it.

I won’t give away the film’s ending but that is the overnight test in action. Do the work, get it right, then walk away and give yourself time to re-examine it with fresh eyes. It might still be right, or you might be able to make it even better. If you send the work off as soon as you finish, you won’t know until it’s too late.

The overnight test is one of our core rules and one of those basic tips that’s clearly as valuable to a Hollywood Writer/Director as it is to us.

 GUESS WHAT? HE ALSO WORKS BLOODY HARD.

The second anecdote was all about effort. Tarantino had completed his first draft of ‘The Hateful Eight’ and was pretty happy with it. But the death of one character was bugging him. He knew this particular person had to die (they were hateful, after all) he just didn’t know how.

So he re-wrote the entire screenplay from that one character’s perspective in order to better understand who they were. Only when he’d done that, did he know how they should die.

Can you imagine finishing a screenplay and then deciding to start over, just to solve one scene?

It’s a fantastic lesson in the importance of properly examining your own work. And a reminder that when it comes to good writing there is no magic sauce, no shortcut or revolutionary hack. Sometimes it’s just about the hard yards and a lot of swearing.

How not to apologise

By Tam

Not to sound hateful, but I’ve been waiting for an apology and not in the I-told-you-so way. More in the you-broke-my-stuff way.

 I’ll explain.

Three, my network, went down last week. I went to work with only the train window to keep me company.

A state of semi-bliss shared by nobody else, apparently.

The shutdown happened on my commute, on route to a day’s work that includes – amongst other things – writing apology notes for brand teams.  

When missteps happen, someone has to explain them. If you’re a big enough company, you have a copywriter do it for you. They’ll make sure you sound normal, even likeable, in everything you put out, apologies included. 

Hence my interest into how Three would do it.

As phone networks come, their tone is pretty spicy. I like it. It’s carefree, funny. Their language doesn’t try and be inclusive.

A giant disco sized ball drop was going to test their grovel. (When competitor companies write apology notes, it’s professional voyeurism for a copywriter.)

There are a few ways to say sorry. The most important being you’ve got to sound like you mean it, or else you’ll be seen right through. Talk human, act corporate.

(Our client EE always balance their apologies with actions, for example. They also always thank their customers for sticking around. It’s nice.)

Three took a scattergun approach to saying sorry. They swung from childish tweets to emails that sounded like your plumber and your spam box at the same time.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If you’re going to have a big bold tone of voice, you should make it count when you’re saying sorry. You don’t have to ditch it: you just have to be a little bit more human about it.

Jack W sometimes runs a workshop on writing great apologies (something he’s forced himself to have quite a lot of experience in). Here are his four steps for doing it well:

STEP ONE: ADMIT WHAT YOU DID

Say what went wrong: Our phone network went down. We sent your parcel to the wrong address. I ate your delicious cold plums. Whatever it was, own it, so that the person you’re saying sorry to knows that their actual grievance has been addressed.

STEP TWO: UNDERSTAND AND EMPATHISE WITH THE SPECIFIC EMOTION YOU CAUSED

A good way to be human is to show a basic understanding of how emotions work. Don’t panic – we’re not asking for a full therapy session. Just an acknowledgement that when you couldn’t use your phone for a couple of days because of our actions, that might have been annoying for you. Easy.

STEP THREE: SAY SORRY. PROPERLY.

Not sorry for any inconvenience caused, or please accept our apologies. That feels like a box-ticking exercise, a way of managing the reaction of the person you’re apologising to. Say sorry, like your mum taught you.

STEP FOUR: MAKE IT RIGHT

Say what you’re going to do to make the situation better. If you can, give something away. So: Last week, our phone network went down for two days – we understand how frustrating that must have been and we’re sorry. We’re going to take 25% off your bill this month and give you a free pizza to make up for it. Text PIZZA to this number to claim.

Are you listening Three? We said Pizza.

*

We run a one-hour course on writing better apologies. If you think your organisation could benefit from learning how to saying better sorries (and making better connections in the process), get in touch

The Writing Room Soundtrack

As you might have heard, we’ve got a room now. Having a proper headquarters has pros and cons. Con: we have to buy our own biscuits. Pro: we get full control over the snack table. Con: we’ve had to learn how the printer works. Big Pro: we get to choose what’s on the stereo.

And so, drunk with power, we’ve made a playlist that we think sets the perfect tone for writing. The music that makes it onto here has to walk a tricky line: It’s word-free, but not boring. It’s calm, but it’s not listless. It has beats that keep you ticking over nicely without having to get out of your seat. And there are full albums, so you can get into a flow.

We think we’ve cracked it, and this music will make your emails at least 75% more effective. But see what you think.  

A playlist featuring GoGo Penguin

WE HAVE A NEW PLACE TO WORK. IT IS NOT AN OFFICE.

Jack S

One of my favourite work-related quotes (never thought I’d write that sentence) is: work is something you do, not somewhere you go.

In fact, it was one of the founding principles of Writing Club.

It’s the perfect counter to the classic problem of presenteeism – something I’m sure we’ve all experienced in our careers and maybe even taken part in: the need to appear busy so we can be seen as hard workers.

We’re always hearing about how busy we all are. So busy. Mental. And yet the studies show that despite British workers putting in the longest hours in Europe, we’re the least productive.

There are wider debates around the four-day week and the rights and wrongs of John Maynard Keynes’ predictions but one factor which must play a part in our low productivity is our working environment – or, in short, the distraction machine that is the modern office. 

It’s not hard to find articles and opinion pieces bagging open plan offices (‘Why work never happens at work’ etc.) But we think there’s a lot of truth in it. The fact is, modern offices don’t seem particularly conducive to doing any actual work!

Which makes the news that we’re getting ‘an office’ somewhat strange.

IT’S NOT AN OFFICE

At the risk of sounding pretentious, we’ve decided not to call it the office.

Because we don’t want an office. We don’t want office politics. Or gossip. (Well maybe a bit of gossip is okay.) And we definitely don’t want presenteeism. But most importantly of all, we don’t want people to have to leave in order to get work done.

We want somewhere that will help us do great work. A place that aids concentration, allowing us to work when we’re at our best and be productive and efficient so we can lead fulfilling lives. We want a Writing Room, not an office.

So that’s what we’ve got. It’s opening this week, in Clerkenwell. And we have a great way of judging its success: if you have to leave it to do great work, it’s not working.

Time to put it to the test.

Everyone's In Advertising

Jack S

I was looking at a friend’s Instagram feed the other day, thinking to myself ‘that is NOT the person I know…’ 

It made me a little bit annoyed at first.

But then I thought, isn’t that just advertising? Isn’t she just doing for herself what we do for our clients every day?

She’s projecting the aspects that are most interesting/attractive and leaving out the bits that are boring or potentially off-putting.

 Every single day, more people than ever before are doing this, and becoming experts at advertising in the process.

I’ve heard it said that our bullshit filters are more finely tuned than ever before. And that’s because we’ve become the bullshitters. We do it every day. We pump out comms, analyse the results in realtime, hone our message and see what sells. Truth is secondary to results on social media.

So maybe it’s time to stop thinking about our audience in terms of segments. Instead, let’s just think about them as a room full of cynical advertising execs. That’s essentially who we’re speaking to now.

So the question becomes, how would you sell to them?

The truth seems like a good place to start. Not the flashy, non-specific glitzy claims we so often get told to put into our copy. Not a humblebrag. But the honest truth, well told. It’s amazing what stopping power this has in today’s world.

WHICH REMINDS ME…

There’s a great book called Scientific Advertising*. Chapter 7 is about the power of being specific.

The gist is that generalities leave no impression whatsoever. People recognise a certain licence in selling talk – and forgive some exaggeration. So we can say “supreme quality”, “unbelievable prices” etc. without being judged as liars. It’s just that no one believes you.

But a brand that makes a specific claim has to be either telling the truth or lying. (And actually, with bodies like the ASA etc, we don’t expect advertisers to get away with lying.)

So a specific, or fact-based claim can hold more power than any slick-sounding sales patter. 

Why not switch off social media and give it a read before your next brief comes in?

*Scientific Advertising was written in 1923 and is still making as much sense today as I’m sure it did then.

Unboxing possibility in Shepherd’s Bush

Tam R

At Writing Club, one of the things we’re best at is getting stuck into our client’s offices. We’re a mobile bunch, ready to up sticks and settle down wherever there’s space for us. For some, we’re already part of the furniture, for others, we’re limited-time-only desk buddies.

I’m becoming a regular fixture at recipe box company Gousto, whose current TV and tube ads are exciting a nation of food fanatics. Every week their in house team crafts 30 brand new recipes, ready to send out to rapidly growing customer base.

My arrival is well timed – as one of the UK’s fastest growing businesses, they’ve just moved into a new office. It’s got hanging plants, an ultra dynamic coffee machine, and is packed full of developers who make UX look like an art form. There’s always at least three languages being spoken at once, which puts into perspective the way I grapple with one.

Copy jobs have been as varied as you’d imagine, food being a deliciously volatile subject matter. There’ve been tight turnarounds on managing mustard and practicalities with prawns, and there’s plenty of exciting Christmas chat too.

It’s all very mouthwatering being here, but what’s been learned in three weeks? It’s been a while since I’ve had a regular Monday-Friday, but being back on the daily has been a welcome re-immersion into office life.

There’s a lot to take in at Gousto, because making sure their customers are cooking up delicious meals is a mere slice of the lettuce. There’s making sure recipes are easy to read, clearing allergy information and getting the checkout process as smooth as possible. It’s an all bodies on deck operation, and a daily reminder that with all great products come all great (and hardworking) people.

Watching the buzz people get from a great incentive is a pleasurable thing to behold. When I’m working remotely, I can set up the world’s best office in my kitchen. But (from time to time), it’s nice to be amongst the many, to throw ideas around in person and, if nothing else, to sample a sneaky peek of a new recipe.

Getting the best of Callum: The Writing Club Surf Club Surf Trip® 2018

Club Notice regulars will know that the WCSCST® is a fixed feature of the Writing Club calendar. Surfing is to us what bullfighting was to Ernest Hemmingway: a way to prove that we’re not just wussy writers. Oh no. We are people of the deep. Ocean goers. Wetsuit wearers. Riders of the ridges of the raging seas.

 So when we heard that Storm Callum was making his way down to Cornwall, we raced on the Paddington-Penzance train to meet him there, boards in hand. No meteorological event was going to stop us from getting our kicks, no matter what his name was. We were ready to conquer.

As it turned out, the wind was blowing in the wrong direction and the waves were mostly actually quite small. And that was fine. We had a lovely time. Great hot tub. Wonderful bar.

I’ve got UX under my skin

Jack W

One of the advantages of the way we work is that it gets us into all sorts of different spaces with all sorts of different people.

This week I’ve been with a tech start-up, writing micro copy for a new football app. It’s meant getting deep into UX charts, wireframes and flow diagrams with web developers and designers, thinking about the best things to say to people at every stop along the way.

There’s something in the digital people’s approach to design that’s helpful for all sorts of writing. Everything is seen as a step along the journey – it all sits in the context of everything that has already been said and done. Nothing stands alone.  

When you’re writing for an audience, you’re always asking questions about them. How much do they already know about what you’re talking about? What have they experienced of it up until this point? What ideas and feelings did you give them along the way? With UX, it’s all right there, mapped out.

 Maybe we need more of that. If we all understood everything in terms of some great real-life user experience diagram, maybe we’d stop working in isolation. We’d stop boring people by saying too much or mystifying them by not saying enough.

What I’m saying is, it’s all a journey, man.

So why write novels when we should be writing signposts?

Introducing our newest writer...

Jack W has recruited an exciting young Writing Club member, who we’re keen to introduce.

This is Agnes Bea Wells, born on Saturday 28th July.

Her portfolio needs a bit of work, but we’re confident that she’ll be ready for all your writing needs in no time at all.

How To Rob A Bank: Writing That Gets Stuff Done

Good writing can get anything done. So yesterday we took the EE brand team to a shady underground pub and taught them how to rob a bank.

It’s a new training course we’ve been working on: a way of teaching genuinely useful writing skills that’s also a bit fun. There’s no shortage of boring corporate training courses out there, but we think this is something genuinely different.

It’s not a ‘How to be a copywriter’ course. We’re not trying to make competition for ourselves. It’s a course that uses copywriting skills to help all kinds of teams communicate better and get things done. Through the means of a good old-fashioned bank heist.

It went down well with the team at EE. If you think your team might enjoy it, get in touch.

Fight For Your Right to GDPR-ty

Tam R

No doubt you’re waking up every morning to an onslaught of GDPR related emails.

No doubt you’re swiftly hitting delete.

Not Writing Club. We’ve been hawk-eyeing with diligence.

Certainly, most times out of ten we’ve raised an eyebrow and hit delete.

But, there has been the odd occasion when we’ve not (immediately) thought GDPissRightoffmate.

So here's our run down of those who did it well.  Here's to heartfelt copy, punchy subject lines and unashamedly strong TOV, wherever it may lie.

You have our vote, even if you don’t have our data.  

THE BARBICAN

As swiftly acerbic as we’d hope the largest and most unforgivingly grey building in London would be.

ALT TICKETS

A thoughtful one, taking what could be an incoherent block of words and breaking it up with colours, emojis and some easy to digest copy.

CRISIS

This is honest and personal. Bolding what’s important early (taking your privacy seriously) and following with what they’re doing to prove it.

BOILER ROOM

You rotters! Boiler Room led the way with clickbait subject lines. The early bird catches the data.

And while we’re at it…

D&AD

SOUTHERN RAIL

Gentle copy, gentle image; it’s a pretty soft, romantic email that’ll capture the imagination of holiday makers. How many people forgot their terrible train service and signed up remains to be seen.

GOOD LIFE YOGA

Calling an email inbox “this sacred online space of yours” probably raised more than a few eyebrows but TOV is undeniably powerful here.

NTS RADIO

Casual punning, casual self-promotion; NTS is playing it cool, and it’s working. Nonchalant, just like that little kiss at the end.