"Dreams are written in the sky,
while Inspiration is found in life"
I am done with another revision of my novel, Flight For Safety! A few more reads, and it will be in your hands. But an interesting comment came from one of my proofreaders.
She said, "I noticed you had a lot of products in your book. Why do you say MacBook Pro versus a laptop, or Diet Pepsi versus soda? Is this someothing new? Are they teaching this today?"
I thought about this for a minute but knew instantly why I do this. My friend, Heather McCorkle sponsors a writer's chat every Monday night called #WritersRoad.
Tonight we'll be talking about this exact thing!
Why I use products:
For me it's about creating a visual. I didn't
learn it. But I see my chapters as movie scenes. If said she pulled a beer
out of the fridge... beer is a "word" for an alcoholic drink. But a bottle of
Coors Light creates a picture that
also says Darby is not a hard core beer drinker, she likes glass over a can, and is weight conscious.
A beer doesn't tell anything about the person. A bottle of Coors Light gives us a glimpse of the person.
A laptop versus a MacBook Pro might tell where that person is financially, and with technology, etc. If their phone flips open... we know they are a bit behind the times for cell phone technology.
A beer doesn't tell anything about the person. A bottle of Coors Light gives us a glimpse of the person.
A laptop versus a MacBook Pro might tell where that person is financially, and with technology, etc. If their phone flips open... we know they are a bit behind the times for cell phone technology.
- Authors, do you do this in your writing?
- Do readers create a better visual when they identify and can see a product?
- Do you believe there is a legality, or copyright issue?
- This is free marketing for these products... why would they care? Maybe they should pay us.
Join us at #WritersRoad tonight
on Twitter for a great discussion!
Easy way to navigate the Writers Road discussion is to download TweetDeck and search #WritersRoad. But you'll still have to type the #WritersRoad hashtag on your tweets.
I hope to see you all tonight! From 6-630 (1800-1830)
Enjoy the journey!
XOX Karlene
Interesting… Things are also going this way for TV, but it is not as much about narrative specifics, and more about product placement and which sponsor was willing to pay more. Traditional broadcasting and commercials that really haven't changed much since the '50s are dead. So I feel jaded sometimes when watching a show and bombarded with products - but I appreciate your insight on it… I wish in more cases that thought process was applied - but it sometimes goes the opposite, and generic products are used if a sponsor wasn't found, to avoid "giving away" the placement.
ReplyDeleteI am also sure that products support movies. Actually... the movie Last Vegas, I would bet the Aria Hotel paid to have the movie made.
DeleteI love your thoughts on this. I feel the same way when they go overboard and make the movie about the product. Sometimes, I don't notice.
There actually is placement in movies because they are getting paid for it. I'm doing it to just create more of a visual for the reader to see more details and know more behind the scenes.
If you see the mention of Starbucks in a book of a coffee addicted woman in Seattle...would this be out of place? Would you feel jaded? This is a good thought for the day.
Thank you so much for your comment!