In the world of copywriting, a control is defined as “a principle governing the arrangement or sequence of events in a given piece of writing.” That may not seem very helpful, but it gets more precise when you consider that some copies write themselves, and not always in an order that makes sense to someone reading them. For example, here are a few random controls that could appear in a literary piece:
1. Parallel Construction
This is “the practice of constructing two or more arguments or explanations based on the same set of facts.” The writer is choosing to tell an elaborate story involving several characters, often with multiple plot twists. In doing so, the author might give one character’s thoughts on a certain topic while another character’s story is unfolding. Within the tale, the characters often discuss the subject matter in question, which creates parallel construction. For example:
“A man walks into a bookstore and asks the assistant, ‘I’m looking for a gift for my wife. What would you recommend?’ The assistant replies, ‘I don’t know. Tell me what kind of wife she is.’ The man proceeds to tell her that she is a businesswoman who owns several companies and has extensive real estate holdings. The assistant says, ‘Oh, that’s great! I love businesses and real estate! Just give me a minute. I’ll get you the perfect present.’”
The beauty of this technique is that the reader never feels like they’re missing out on anything. The author has constructed a fully cohesive story that makes perfect sense in its entirety. While the example above uses fictional characters and a fictional story, most non-fiction writers will use real people and actual events to develop their arguments or opinions. For example:
“Walmart does a lot of good for the communities they serve, but you have to be careful about the wages they pay their employees. Despite the fact that Walmart has raised minimum wages across the country, the turnover rate at their stores is still extremely high. Local businesses are suffering, because they can’t afford to pay their employees as much as Walmart can. It’s a lose-lose situation. You can’t win.”
Even when writing in the third person, it’s not always easy to keep track of who’s speaking. By laying out the thoughts of various characters within the same piece of writing, the author ensures that everything makes sense to the reader. While some characters might disagree with the initial premise or ultimate conclusion of a piece, at least the reader will know where each individual’s opinion lies. Parallel construction is one of the most useful tools a writer can possess. It allows the author to create a fully cohesive story that feels real but impossible.
2. Internal Temporal Arrangement
With this technique, “the writer arranges the material so that it makes sense chronologically.” The goal is to create a story or piece of writing that feels cohesive and complete, like a real conversation that took place over time. For example:
“The sales manager of a large company orders a plot of land from a supplier to build a new headquarters. During the negotiations, the salesman assures the sales manager that the building will be ready in time for the company’s big presentation to shareholders at the end of the month. The presentation goes well, and the company decides to build the new headquarters after all. Several months later, the plot of land on which the building was erected is sold to a developer, who builds an apartment complex on the site. The complex is complete, and the developer mails the keys to the apartments.
While this story has a happy ending, it could have gone very differently. The author might have arranged the events in a different order, or chosen to add additional complications. For example, the author could have made the building’s sales presentation a month earlier, or changed the location of the transaction to another city. The point is that even though the story ends well, it could have ended up very differently. The beauty of this technique is that it allows the writer to experiment with different outcomes, which can increase the creativity and uniqueness of their work. In the world of fiction, this is known as “variation.” For non-fiction writers, this is known as “controlling the timeline.”
3. Parallel Explanation
This is “the practice of providing two or more explanations or arguments for the same event, idea or person.” The writer is choosing to lay out two conflicting viewpoints on the same issue. For example:
“Bill Gates is one of the greatest philanthropists of our time. Not only does he work hard to create affordable healthcare coverage for all, but he donates billions of dollars to medical research each year. He even started a foundation specifically to combat global poverty.”
“Hillary Clinton is a terrible person. Despite being extremely wealthy, she allegedly helped cover up a drug deal involving John and Chelsea Clinton. In other words, she is the epitome of a corrupt politician. She is also deeply unpopular in rural America, where her political party is not very popular either. If she wins the presidency in 2020, she’ll have a bigger electoral college victory than any other candidate in history. But all of that might be for nothing, because if she doesn’t address the corruption that stemmed from her husband’s administration, her chances of re-election are bleak.”
Parallel construction and parallel explanation work in tandem to give the reader a sense that they’re not missing out on anything. The example above uses fictional characters and events, but most non-fiction writers will use actual people and events to develop their arguments. For example:
“Walmart does a lot of good for the communities they serve, but you have to be careful about the wages they pay their employees. Despite the fact that Walmart has raised minimum wages across the country, the turnover rate at their stores is still extremely high. Local businesses are suffering, because they can’t afford to pay their employees as much as Walmart can. It’s a lose-lose situation. You can’t win.”
“Apple is one of the greatest company values in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. The company consistently delivers innovative products that meet the needs of their customers, and profits to shareholders. They are also one of the most respected and admired companies in the world, which is probably why it’s so hard to find anything bad to say about them.”
In the above examples, the writer is choosing to lay out two conflicting viewpoints for the same subject. It’s not always easy to keep track of who’s speaking. By developing multiple arguments or viewpoints, the author ensures that the reader will always know who is speaking and why. It creates complexity while keeping the narrative feeling tight and cohesive. Complexity is one of the most useful tools a writer can have. It doesn’t always mean that something is wrong or problematic, but it often does. When used effectively, it can make for an excellent storytelling tool.
4. Intersubject Confrontation
An even stronger form of controlling the arrangement or sequence of events within a piece of writing is to go one step further. Specifically, the writer creates a situation where various characters actually confront or debate each other. This is most effective when the writer uses contrasting or contrasting viewpoints. For example:
“Walmart does a lot of good for the communities they serve, but you have to be careful about the wages they pay their employees. Despite the fact that Walmart has raised minimum wages across the country, the turnover rate at their stores is still extremely high. Local businesses are suffering, because they can’t afford to pay their employees as much as Walmart can. It’s a lose-lose situation. You can’t win.”
“Apple is one of the greatest company values in the world, and it’s not hard to see why. The company consistently delivers innovative products that meet the needs of their customers, and profits to shareholders. They are also one of the most respected and admired companies in the world, which is probably why it’s so hard to find anything bad to say about them.”
Intersubject confrontation is a bit like a debate or discussion, only it’s between two or more characters rather than people talking to one another. It can work as a great narrative tool, and it allows the author to flesh out multiple viewpoints without having to rely on the voice of a single character. For example: