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Just as somebody had to draw the pictures for those advertisements, somebody had to write the copy. And in a good many cases, that somebody could easily be you.

That's something I never stopped to think about until I started writing advertising copy myself. It happened quite by accident, and a happy accident it was, because for me, free-lancing advertising copy has come to be a rewarding hobby, financially as well as personally.

It all began when an artist friend trying to get a start telephoned to ask me a favor. A manufacturer was willing to give her a chance to do his big fall promotional mat service. (A mat service is a group of advertisements furnished by the manufacturer as a convenience to his retail outlets. Usually, they're run in newspapers "as is" by small town stores that don't have their own advertising department. Often, if they're good enough, larger stores will also run them.)

She could handle the art end of the job—but, would I write the copy? "Why me?" I asked. My knowledge of advertising was strictly limited. The only thing I knew about such copy was that either I liked the way a certain advertisement sounded or I didn't.

"But you've always been interested in writing and literature, and I know you have the rules of English and grammar down pat," my friend insisted. "Why don't you give it a try? You can't lose anything." She was persuasive.

So we made an appointment to meet the following week in the manufacturer's showroom where I could see his entire fall line of women's coats and suits and jot down all the notes I'd need to write the copy. During the next few days I brushed up on the latest fashion trends by reading all the fashion magazines. I noted down catch phrases, current expressions for certain styles. From a buyer friend in a department store I borrowed several advertising service clip books that carried photostatic copies of the nation's best retail advertisements of the week. It amounted to real work but I found myself enjoying it and eagerly looking forward to the actual writing.

SEVERAL WEEKS after I finished the job my friend called to tell me the good news—her client was very pleased with the mat service and would let her handle all his future advertising. As to the copy, he made a few suggestions for minor revisions, which I carried out to his satisfaction. Not bad for a first try! And the best part was yet to come—a substantial check in the mail!

Good as his word, this manufacturer turned over his next season's advertising to my friend and she entrusted me with the copy. It was a real thrill to see the finished product and later on to see the advertisements appear in various newspapers just as we had made them up. This time there was radio continuity involved, which I found easier to write than newspaper copy. Perhaps this was because you can be more natural and conversational in writing for radio. The less stilted it is, the better it sounds over the air. And you don't need to take lessons to write radio copy. Your best textbook is your radio. Just listening to a variety of commercials gives you the "feel" and the rest is simply a matter of tying in the facts you want to put across.

The beauty of my lucrative new hobby was that I could do the work in my Kansas City, Missouri, home. The only leg work I had to do was the initial trip to the showroom to see the merchandise and get the manufacturer's ideas and suggestions. From then on I was on my own. I mailed the completed copy as there was no rush deadline on these seasonal promotions.

I got to thinking that surely there must be quite a few small advertising agencies—perhaps just one person even—which needed the occasional services of a copywriter. So, from the telephone directory I made a list of about eight. Next day I made the rounds personally, taking along samples of my work. All seemed interested and five out of the eight said they definitely could use a free-lance copywriter from time to time. I figured if only one or two called me in the future, it was worth my afternoon's efforts. They did—and it was!

I've always considered fashion writing my strong point and, paradoxically, having that "specialty" almost proved detrimental to my free-lance writing hobby. The first thing a prospective client will ask you is what fields you've written advertising for. And the last thing he likes to hear is, "I specialize in so and so." Right there you cut your chances of getting his business by 50 per cent. "I write copy for all types of products," should be your answer. I've discovered it pays to be versatile. If you can write about one product, chances are you can write just as well about another. You can always learn more about your subject—through research, questioning and just talking with your client. He's glad to tell you all he knows because the more you know about his product, the more effective will be the advertisement you write for him. Any kind of advertising writing is actually selling, and barring highly technical fields, you can do as good a selling job with baby food, for example, as with office furniture.

GRADUALLY I was making permanent connections with several small agencies. My friend expanded her services, too, and faithfully came to me for all her copy needs.

Then a new source turned up. During Christmas rush season, a friend employed in the advertising department of a downtown store telephoned me. One of the regular copywriters had come down with the flu, and with the heavy Christmas advertising schedule, the department was desperate for help. (Maybe that's why they were willing to take their chances with someone as inexperienced as I was in department store advertising.) If I could come down for four or five days, it would help them keep their heads above water.

I was happy to help out. This set-up was different from my previous experience, though. When you work for a department store you usually have to be on the spot to write the copy because it involves working closely with buyers, artists and layout people. But it proved interesting, and it gave me valuable experience. I'm still helping out with special catalogs, brochures and the like—and chipping in during holiday and promotional campaigns and copywriters' vacations.

Before accepting any free-lance assignment, it's wise to have a clear understanding about your remuneration. Either arrange to work by the hour or quote your client a set fee for the entire job. Count not just the time you spend writing, but the hours you put in gathering information, talking with the client, etc. If the financial arrangement is understood ahead of time, neither party can complain afterwards.

UNTIL YOU write advertising copy you don't realize how important words and ideas are. Of course, you must know how to spell, you must know the rudiments of good English and grammar. But the mechanics are secondary to the ideas and to an extensive vocabulary. I keep an idea file with advertising and article clippings arranged by subject. It's amazing how one idea from an advertisement will call forth an original one you can use for a theme in your own copy.

I've written about everything from men's underwear to sickroom needs. I've written for all kinds of media, from high fashion Vogue, Mademoiselle, Charm and Glamour to pepper-upper letters for sales people. And in all these, the same thing holds true. It isn't specialized training or textbooks that helps you produce good copy—it's the idea itself, expressed in an easy, interesting manner so that each sentence leads the reader on to the next one to find out what your product will do for him!

If you're going to write advertisements, you've got to keep abreast of the times, read current magazines and books to keep your outlook fresh and original. Then you can say "yes!" and mean it when the phone rings and a client at the other end of the wire asks, "Can you write some really live-wire copy for this new item I'm introducing?"

If you want a hobby that keeps you on your toes, that's a constant challenge to your imagination, that gives real dividends, free-lance advertising writing is for you! My last project helped pay for our television set. The one before that bought a dress I never would have allowed myself otherwise.