What's in a word?

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Hello Spark reader,

If you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn lately it’s likely you’ve come across marketers and copywriters both protesting and encouraging the use of GenAI for copywriting, both sides making some compelling cases.

Weighing in on this discussion for this edition of Spark, we have friend of Vivace, published author and winner of Costa’s Children’s Book of the Year award Jason Wallace—who clearly knows a thing or two about words!

There’s one thing we can guarantee you: Spark is and always will be a platform for the best thinking and writing from our talented community of creative humans. And because we want Spark to continue to be as interesting and useful as possible to you, our valued subscribers, we’re launching our first reader survey.

We’d really appreciate if you could take 3 minutes to answer a few questions that will help us shape future editions of Spark here.

—joel

What’s in a word?

Guest essay by Jason Wallace

It’s a good question. And the answer? Quite a lot and perhaps more than many people think, even in the content business that many of us find ourselves in.

As a writer, I read far less than I should—a full-time job plus a sideline plus a twelve-year-old son do not add up to a great deal of freedom. So when I do get the opportunity for a bit of me time and pick up a book, I make it count with quality. One of the best lines I’ve picked out from my reading thus far is this, from David Mitchell (not the comedian, the other one):

Just words.

For me, that says it all. In two perfectly combined words. Because it’s never “just” words, and Mr Mitchell knows it as well as I do.