It’s easier to define copywriting than it is to define creative writing because the latter encompasses so many forms such as poetry, the novel, and comedy and a variety of others.

So let’s focus on copywriting, which is generally taken to mean any kind of writing that is promotional in nature—for example, the writing that a politician might do to change minds or elicit some action such as voting in a particular way. It’s often used to incite activity in behalf of a cause. On the other hand, it’s also used to promote a product. Say a boutique in Chicago wants to sell its products in more places than the local market place. By using copywriting that effectively makes their products look attractive and that would entice people to desire them, they can spread that word in the newspaper, on the radio, or on the internet and make those products available via mail order. On the other hand, copywriting is also used sometimes to persuade readers or listeners not to do a certain thing. A good example is the rhetoric used to convince people that overhauling healthcare is a bad thing in the hope that they will, in turn, influence their representatives in congress.

Some people consider copywriting as any writing that will appear in some form of media such as newspaper advertisements, television commercials, radio, or other. However, writers of copy for newspaper or magazines tend to be called reporters or writers, not copywriters. We see or hear copywriters’ output in letters persuading the recipient to do something—send money, subscribe, vote, etc. Copywriters are also the ones who produce jingle lyrics. There is an ever-increasing demand for good copywriters, so this may be a good opportunity for the right person.

Creative writing, on the other hand, is considered by most people to be any kind of writing such as fiction, poetry, or even non-fiction that is not professional, journalistic, academic, or technical. Most of us have had the opportunity to take a course in creative writing although we may have chosen not to do so. Since creative writing is considered an opportunity to express emotions or delve into a fantasy universe, many students don’t see it as something that would appeal to them.

Perhaps a better way to look at creative writing is as anything that is original—that is, something that comes straight from the mind and soul of the avowed author and not from anyone else. This is true whether the form is a novel, short story, poem, play, or even such things as memoirs or autobiography. Yet another way to think of this kind of writing is any writing that records a valuable experience or even that which is undertaken for the purpose of sharing an experience. Sometimes creative writing is promoted as a way of solving one’s problems or promoting one’s mental and physical well-being. The recording of an experience often leads to new insights and the relief that comes from reexamination. It’s important to remember that creative writing doesn’t necessarily have to be fiction such as a novel or short story; it can also be based on fact but presented in such a way that its purpose is to entertain.

So what should you be, the copywriter or the creative writer? At the end of the day, the decision is yours. You have to identify where your interest lives. Ask yourself, do you wish for your writing to be a creative expression of yourself or is your brain wired for marketing?  Can you get inside the mind of others and predict their thought processes based on your carefully crafted bold statements and questions? In most cases, if your copywriting, you are writing for a client in exchange for an income. Although creative writers also write for clients, they more than likely wish to work on their own projects to demonstrate their unique personality on page.  Then comes the task of getting published!