"Queen of Copywriting" Li Xinpin: Write a unique point of view so that everyone can see the beauty in front of us

The writing journey of a copywriting queen

Speaking of “Queen of Copywriting” Li Xinpin, many people may know that she once helped Eslite Bookstore write a series of impressive copywriting. She started writing copywriting when she was nineteen years old. It can be said that she became famous very early. She not only made a name in the advertising circle, but also published books and taught courses on both sides of the Taiwan Strait in recent years. She can be said to be the most famous figure in the Chinese literary world.

Previously, I was very happy to have the opportunity to participate in a small lecture event “The World in the Eyes of Copywriting Queen Li Xinpin” organized by KWG Zhejiang in Taipei. I was able to listen to Ms. Li Xinpin talk about her reading and writing in person.

The valuable thing about this event is not only that it brought friends from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to the Eslite Bookstore in Taipei, which is full of literary and artistic atmosphere; as Li Xinpin said, the Eslite Dunnan store was the first place where she wrote copywriting, so it feels particularly meaningful. In July 2019, she also gathered some of her past copywriting works and creative writing experience and published “[Li Xinpin’s Way of Writing: How to Start a Diverse Writing Path from Eslite Bookstore Copywriting]” in Taiwan (https://www.books.com.tw/product s/0010828389?utm_source=vista&utm_medium=ap-books&utm_content=recommend&utm_campaign=ap-201910)》book.

Eslite Bookstore, which has opened branches in Japan in recent years, is not only a well-known bookstore among book lovers around the world, but also a unique leading brand in Taiwan’s cultural and creative industries. Eslite’s business projects have expanded from bookstores to galleries, publishing, performance activities, and cultural and creative products. For Li Xinpin, Eslite is not just a bookstore that sells books, it is also a very important cradle for cultivating the golden era in the next thirty years.

“Eslite has given me an opportunity to realize my dream, and I am very grateful. In fact, the most valuable thing about any business is not how much money it makes, but the place it gives local people, especially young people, a place to realize their dreams. I think this is very important.” Time flies, Li Xinpin started writing copywriting at the age of nineteen, and thirty years have passed in a flash.

She said emotionally that Eslite Bookstore has given her a lot of help and allowed her to express her creativity and literary talents.

Li Xinpin has helped Eslite Bookstore write many popular pieces of copywriting. For example, this article “Group Portraits of Readers” has impressed many people:

Hemingway read the sea and discovered that life is a fish that takes a lifetime to get hooked. Van Gogh read the wheat field and discovered that art hides behind the sun to enjoy the coolness. Freud read dreams and discovered a secret passage to the subconscious. Rodin read the human body and discovered the beautiful coastline that Columbus had not discovered. Camus read Kafka and found that the truth had been half told. Between books and non-books, we welcome all possible readers.

She also mentioned in her sharing that day: “Why do you need to support this bookstore? If no one came in and everyone went to buy cheap books, this bookstore would not exist. You may not know that the disappearance of a bookstore is equivalent to the demise of a civilization…”

Li Xinpin said that Reading is of far-reaching significance. Although there is no way to see the economic effect immediately, it can have a very far-reaching impact on the entire society. Having said that, it was also because she had the opportunity to write product copy for Eslite Bookstore thirty years ago that she started reading a lot of books.

The importance of establishing a knowledge system

“When I was teaching, I discovered that most young people today have this problem. Their knowledge is trivial and cannot be systematized, and they cannot express a complete point of view concretely. This is a very serious cultural problem. Although anyone can quickly talk about current gossip events or popular things, they cannot express their own unique opinions. When thinking is in a state of fragmentation, it is actually impossible to digest and absorb, let alone establish your own knowledge system. Naturally, it is difficult to write wonderful articles!”

She also pointed out that reading blindly for speed will not lead to depth. Nowadays, most people are reading the content on WeChat, or some articles that everyone has compiled, but it is difficult to build their own knowledge system in this way. Since [knowledge payment] (https://www.contenthacker.today/2019/07/hahow-content-team.html) became popular three or four years ago, it has caused a big problem, because everyone started to buy a lot of courses, but they only bought here and there without properly digesting and absorbing them.

“Once you don’t have your own system, everything will be fragmented. It’s like buying a bunch of furniture without having your own home. You won’t know how to buy the furniture and where to put it. So, I often tell my students that the most important thing is to establish your own system first. Only after the system comes out, you can read it. Instead of blindly following what others recommend to you!”

In the afternoon event, Li Xinpin also shared with everyone her [writing ritual] (https://www.contenthacker.today/2019/02/improve-writing-skills.html). Usually before writing copywriting, in addition to reading a lot of books, she also needs to dabble in music and movies. For example, by reading famous works such as “Lakeside Notes” and “The Old Man and the Sea”, you can enlighten yourself about different views of the world. In addition, she also recommends that everyone watch the following video produced by IKEA to get a lot of inspiration about the reading experience.

Writing training to activate inner senses

In addition, Li Xinpin also suggested that before writing, you must first activate your inner senses, otherwise you will not be able to write vivid words. As for how to cultivate the visual imagination of words, you can usually practice through reading books, paintings, exhibitions, movies, photo albums, news or daily observation.

For example, we can first choose a literary work that we like, whether it is a novel, a travelogue or a poem - first read a paragraph, then close your eyes and see if you can see the text, smell, taste, feel the temperature and touch of the text you just read? After experiencing this feeling, think further. If you were to use words to describe the space in front of you, how would you describe it with precise words? After letting others see the words you wrote, they can use their inner senses to restore the space, smell, touch and sound where you are.

Li Xinpin encourages everyone to read more books, “I think everyone should have their own study room, and each study room should have its own system. You have to make your own classification. For example, my own study room has a very clear classification. Basically, my three rooms are all books, and they are classified like a library. That’s because I love books so much. I don’t use them as a tool, but as a space for spiritual dialogue.”

How to read with a dialogue with the author

Li Xinpin pointed out that many people gulp down books, or just read for the sake of reading a book. She suggested that when reading, you must be able to discern things that are not written in the book. For example, maybe we see that the author has said three sentences on a certain topic, and if you feel that these three sentences may not be complete enough, you should help add other points. This approach is the correct way to dialogue with the author.

In other words, if we can look at a book from the author’s perspective, the first benefit is that we can naturally discover many different dimensions of the book and extend it into a more diverse context; the second benefit is that we can become a creator and further refine our own unique perspectives.

Finally, Li Xinpin also encouraged everyone to start their own cultural distribution center from now on, try to convey unique viewpoints through the power of words, and then influence themselves and the people around them to jointly create a better, richer and creative world.

I think the most beautiful thing about being a copywriter is that we can use our unique eyes to let others see the beauty in front of us through words. ──Li Xinpin

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