Accidental Magic - The Wizard’s Techniques for Writing Words Worth 1,000 Pictures

Accidental Magic - The Wizard’s Techniques for Writing Words Worth 1,000 Pictures

by Roy H. Williams

An interesting book. Created by photo submissions from graduates of Roy Williams Wizard Academy.

Of course, if you read the title without thinking, you'll probably think it implies a picture is worth 1,000 words. But reread it carefully. It says "words worth a 1,000 pictures."

And now, some snips...

Something I personally had never heard named before - FRAMELINE MAGNETISM. Seems dirty limericks are the most common use. But Roy talks about a radio compaign he created where he had the business owner make his pitch and then instead of the much expected "call xxx-xxxx, or come on down to 143 W. Main st" he just said, "Ok, I'm done." (btw, as writing this, I realize it's not a perfect example and am thinking maybe it came from another section, but I'll still with my original instincts which have never not led me astray)

"Muskogee, Oklahoma, 1965, Hilldale Elementary School, Mrs. Shelton’s second-grade class. One by one, we march to the front of the room to recite the poems we’ve written. It’s Reggie Gibson’s turn. “Spider, spider, on the wall. Ain’t you got no smarts at all? Don’t you know that’s wall’s fresh plastered? Get off that wall, you dirty…(long pause) spider.” The class explodes. Mrs. Shelton is not amused. Reggie Gibson has discovered frameline magnetism.

The edge of the picture is called the frameline. When an image extends beyond the frameline, the viewer’s imagination reacts by filling in what was left outside the frame."

“Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words? He thinks I don’t know the ten-dollar words. I know them all right. But there are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use.” -Ernest Hemingway

"Poignant truth punches the listener in the stomach because mental BS is more repugnant than the real thing. Unpolluted truth is like smelling salts to Broca’s area of the brain: the careful but silent negotiations for personal space in an elevator; the change you hear in your friend’s voice when he finishes talking to his boss and turns to his beloved."

Roy Williams is good. Real good.

At first it seemed more like a photo essay book. Just like the intro said it would.

Only towards the end did I start to see how it applied to advertising. Emotion, words, photos, the expected, the unexpected.

And I was impressed with so many entries I can't even describe them all. Even went out of my way to find and contact one or two.

The royalties from sales of this book are being donated to charity in Guatemala.

Success,

Erik Lukas

P.S. For anyone wondering, I'm on an email hiatus for the next week. Ah, spring break. Anyone else like to play frisbee? :)


“Good writing is true writing. If a man is making a story up it will be true in proportion to the amount of knowledge of life that he has and how conscientious he is; so that when he makes something up it is as it would truly be.” - hemingway

Erik-

I'm completely confused about the radio campaign. Are you saying that he did a regular commercial and then just said "I'm done" instead of giving contact info? I really don't follow, and did it work? I enjoy reading Roy Williams stuff, but I am always very bothered by the lack of documented (or even undocumented) results of all these clever campaigns.

Hi Erik!

Thanks for sharing those insights from the "Wizard of Ads" Roy Williams....

Frameline Magnetism sounds like a great concept. It also reminds me of something Joe Sugarman points out in "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" (chapter 20)....

He says:

"The more the mind must work to reach a conclusion successfully, the more positive, enjoyable or stimulating the experience."

Joe Sugarman is a big believer in getting people's minds to work.... Don't give them the WHOLE answer. Leave a part out, but a part which they can easily figure out for themselves....

It seems to be a related concept to "Frameline Magnetism"....

Joe Sugarman even says that "Telling too much in copy or even in photography can actually harm a sale" (p.178). Sometimes, people like to fill in the gaps themselves.... You provide them with what they need to reach the conclusion, then let them reach the necessary conclusion themselves. It's a lot more stimulating that way....

I also found a "Monday Memo" where Roy Williams talks about "Frameline Magnetism". He also tells the story you mentioned, about the radio ad he wrote where he didn't mention the name of the store. Where at the end, instead of the address of the store, he just had, "Okay.... I'm done". Reading this might help to answer Ken's question. You can read the full script of that radio ad at the link below....

- Dien Rice


Roy Williams on Verbal Frameline Magnetism

> I'm completely confused about the radio
> campaign. Are you saying that he did a
> regular commercial and then just said
> "I'm done" instead of giving
> contact info?

Yeah. Says it caused a stir in rural Oklahoma or something like that (don't have book in front of me).

(Like I said, that example didn't seem as clearcut of an example of frameline magnetism after I wrote it)

> I really don't follow, and did
> it work? I enjoy reading Roy Williams stuff,
> but I am always very bothered by the lack of
> documented (or even undocumented) results of
> all these clever campaigns.

:) I understand what you mean, Ken. For me personally this is the second Roy Williams book I've read. I enjoyed both of them immensely.

I don't necessarily expect too much talk of campaigns. In fact, this is the first one I can remember even being mentioned.

Maybe it's just not his style for these books. Fine with me, although, of course, like you, I would love to have page after page of campaigns and their results :) That's the sort of things I go bonkers for.

Success,

Erik Lukas

Hey Dien,

Filling in the gaps is fun!

Geez, thanks for pointing out that site, Dien :) Looks like I have a lot of Monday memos to catch up on.

Do you know if those memos are put together into chunks for his books or not?

-Erik