Hello listeners, and welcome to our program “People at Work.” With me in the studio today is William Brown, who will be telling us something about his job. Hello, William.
Hello.
Tell me, what exactly do you do?
I write the short texts that you find on greeting cards – those cards with messages that you give friends or relatives on their birthday, or on other special occasions.
You know, I've always wondered how professional card writers decide what to write. After all, you don't actually know the people you're writing for.
No, of course not, but I do know the feelings that everyone shares – the emotions we all experience on those special days. Think, for example, of the happiness and excitement that young people feel when they pass their driving test. It's my job to express such feelings, and that is quite a challenge. You see, on the one hand, the message on the card has to sound very personal. The person who buys the card has to feel that it says exactly what he or she wants it to. On the other hand, we at the card company obviously want the same card to appeal to thousands of different people.
I see. So tell me, how do you come up with your ideas?
Often it’s just a matter of chance. I can come across something in a novel or a magazine I happen to be reading, or sometimes I hear a line on TV that gives me an idea. But then I have to turn it into something original that can go on a greeting card. That’s why we work in teams. I present the idea to the other members of the team and they give me advice on how I should develop it. After that, I sit down and actually write the message. And that’s not easy.
Why? What's so hard about it?
Well, I specialize in humorous writing, so whatever idea or emotion I want to convey, I have to think of a funny way to say it. And I must also keep my audience in mind. Let’s say I’m developing a new line of birthday cards. My boss tells me who I'm writing the cards for – that is, what kind of people will buy them and who they’ll give them to. A card that a teenage girl sends to her friend will be very different from one that a grandmother chooses for her grandson. The emotions are different, the language is different, even the humor is different. It takes a great deal of work to find just the right words, so I often spend days or even weeks on one card. And after all that effort, the card may still get rejected. It won't be used if my boss decides it it's not funny enough or if the message isn’t clear. But most of my cards do reach the market, and there's a huge sense of pride when a card I’ve worked on so hard becomes a bestseller.
Yes, I can imagine. Now, one more question: What’s the secret of success?
Well, you can never be sure what will appeal to people. Sometimes it’s a special feature, or a really funny text. But even if a card makes people laugh, they won’t buy it if it doesn’t convey exactly what they want to say. I think the most popular cards are the ones that are the most original, but there’s really no recipe for success. Let’s just say that the writers of greeting cards need something their cards often wish other people – lots of luck.
Thank you, William. That was really interesting. And to you, listeners, goodbye.