How to Write and Sell Greeting Cards, Bumper Stickers, T-Shirts and Other Fun Stuff

by Molly Wigand

A successful freelancer shares her years of experience and advice in writing for the "social expression market".

Genres: Writing

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1992

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I skimmed, rather than read this book. While it's more up-to-date than others of its kind (it heavily emphasizes the change in tone that greeting cards have undergone over the years), it's not as useful in detailing the nuts and bolts of how to submit, etc. Extremely readable, the author has fun and intimate voice. Includes several "workbook" pages for ideas and inspiration.

[ItsNeha]

A fun-filled book featuring a variety of writing tools, tips on writing different kinds of greeting cards and social expression products, with witty examples illustrating each concept!

In this article, I am sharing 27 writing tools I extracted from the book. Bookmark this link and save the list for your own writing practice!
#1 Empathy and persona jumping – Cultivate the ability to empathize, to enter the mind – and heart, of the consumer through the doorway of imagination. Learn to jump from one persona to the other
#2 Make an idea sheet – Jot down the raw thoughts that you want to communicate through your writing
#3 Word associations – Every word or idea has a wheel of assciated words or ideas around it. Jump from wheel to wheel making associations.
#4 Tone and style – Determine the tone and style of your writing. For example: formal, informal, humorous, colloquial, conversatiional, satirical, lighhearted, serious, etc.
#5 Writing humour
Expose yourself to a wide range of funny stuff in the world, putting this big databank into your subconscious hoping that it will resurface in new, unusual ways.
#6 Ask “what if?” – a question that will start the creative ball rolling
#7 Allegory, Metaphor and Simile
a. Allegory is using something to mean something else
b. simile is something is like something else
c. metaphor is something is something else
#8 Alliteration (words tha begin with the same sound – hungry heart)
#9 Idea substituition and parody – ex: happy chocolate to you!
#10 Flip-flopping – When you’re stuck on something, go around to the back door. Think opposites. (divergent thinking) – Ex: Ask “what is not friendship?”, ”when is a cat not a cat?”, etc
#11 Begin each stanza with a common key phrase
Ex:
I love you so much
that I could climb mountains
I love you so much
that I could bring stars from the space to you.
#12 end each stanza with a common key phrase
Ex:
You have taught me
the art of life
thank you Mom
You have made me
who am i
thank you Mom!
#13 Use parallel phrases
Ex: like firelight fills a home
with special warmth,
your love fills my life
with meaning and joy
#14 Use imagery from nature
Ex: sparkling morning sun reflected on the dewdrops making diamonds of each one!
#15 Use affirmations
Statements of personal dreams, abilities and empowerment
#16 Be silly
Remember the things you giggled about when you were a child
#17 Write like a child talks
Raw emotion expressed in childlike imagery…
#18 The marriage of words and pictures
Start with the image/pictures or start with the words. Switch back and forth between visual images and verbal ideas.
#19 Use anthropomorphic characters
Attributing human qualities to non-humans – Ex: an anthropomorphic mouse baking choco-chip cookies
#20 Negative-positive sentence switch
Ex: You are a very sick person. – You are a very sick person, just what I am looking for in my Valentine!
Jalapenos, salsa, garlic spread… - Jalapenos, salsa, garlic spread, you, happy birthday hot stuff!
#21 Exaggeration
Ex: You’re like a cat’s pyjamas, or rather you’re like a cat’s bathrobe.
#22 Understatement
Ex: I miss you all the time, and all whenevers in between
#23 Repetition
Ex: Don’t think of it as just another birthday card, think of it as just another birthday present
#24 Parody
Ex: We were born to run, of course that was many years ago
#25 Write the way people talk
People talk differently from the way they write. Capture the sincerity and spontaneity of a warm heart-to-heart talk
#26 Keep a research file and organize it in categories
#27 Keep a dictionary, rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, magazines and industry publications

[Honey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that the version I picked up was the first publication, so it was from the mid-90s. With that in mind, there was a lot of solid advice for the 1st quarter of the book. Beyond that, I feel like times have changed.
However, I do feel that this could still be perfect for someone trying to get their foot in the door of the big greeting card corporations. But with social media and POD sites like society6 and redbubble, the advice in the latter section of the book may no longer apply.
If there's newer prints of this book, I'd probably seek it out. Just make sure you check what year the copy you're holding was published in.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute read. Somewhat informative, though sadly, a bit outdated.