‘Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book? It took me years to write, will you take a look?’ — The Beatles

Here's the first assignment I wrote for my Creative Writing Class.

We were asked to define the characteristics of good writing.

The opening chord to “A Hard Day’s Night” by the Beatles is a dominant 9th of F in the key of C. It’s an edgy, crisp, metallic, strum that assaults the ear while vibrating the heart and spine—though not in an entirely unpleasant way.

The first Beatles movie opened with that chord.

“Clang!”

I remember. I was there. In 1964. Sitting in the rain at a drive-in theater with a vintage art-deco speaker held to each ear. Ended up with bronchitis. Small price to pay.

Why bring this up?

It’s like that line “You had me at hello” in “Jerry Maguire” (1996). That banging-clanging chord grabbed my attention. When the song resumed three seconds later, I was all-in. Into the movie. Into the characters. Into the story.

Muriel Rukeyser, American poet and political activist, once wrote: “The universe is made of stories; not atoms.”

“A Hard Day’s Night” is like that. Other examples:

“Hawaii” (1959) by James A. Michener

“Soul of a New Machine” (1981) by Tracy Kidder

"Diary of a Young Girl" (1952) by Anne Frank

“The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” (1950) by C.S. Lewis

Each of these books offers an engaging blend of characters, conflict, victories, and defeat—a literary trail mix of textures and tastes, which (by the last page) give the reader a sense of satisfaction.

In April 2020, Rolling Stone published “100 Greatest Beatles Hits” under Elvis Costello’s byline. The No. 1 song? “A Day in the Life” (1967) which begins:

“I read the news today—oh boy

About a lucky man who made the grade

And though the news was rather sad

Well, I just had to laugh

I saw the photograph

“He blew his mind out in a car

He didn't notice that the lights had changed

A crowd of people stood and stared

They'd seen his face before

Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords”

Though not my top Beatles song, I’ll say this: More than 50 years since I first heard it, “A Day in the Life” still haunts—and its epic 53-second E-chord at the end continues to resonate. In my opinion, the song exemplifies the essence of successful writing—enjoyable during the first go-around and like visiting an old friend thereafter.

Copywriting 2021